It’s one small thing to be thankful for. At the same time that I started losing my tolerance and drinking went from “yea!” to straight “blech”, sober curious became more of a trend. Any decent bar/restaurant will have a (good!) mocktail or two, and non-alcoholic beer really has lagers and IPAs figured out.

And I don’t feel like there’s any social pressure or scrutiny over what I’m (not) drinking.

Millennial woman in New England

This makes a lot of sense, actually.

And I bet we all have this to some degree … I don’t WANT to think of myself as the bad guy. And my first reaction to criticism is usually defensiveness. Unless I’m already feeling bad/regretful about something, then I need some time and space to consider my behavior from someone else’s perspective.

But yea in his parents’ case it seems painfully simple-minded: we’re on the correct side of history and fly BLM flags so we’re good people. Nevermind that we faked unemployment from the CARES act for a little spending money (not due to any financial hardship) or that we probably gave people COVID on our travels…because as long as they aren’t actively out there calling people names or posting conspiracy theories to facebook, they’re the good ones. They’re “inclusive”, not hateful. They’ll admit that we’re “all in this together” and yadda yadda.

Maybe it’s partly how they were raised, but in this case, it also feels like political polarization has given them the confidence to be selfish a-holes.

Haha now that you mention it…yea.

As a teen/early 20-something, I had a lot of energy and anger in general, which probably influenced my aesthetic and cultural preferences. Now I’m more chill, more content, but much lower energy.

I still enjoy hard rock & metal, but it’s more in a sentimental way, or to have in the background so I clean the bathroom more efficiently ;) I’m not exactly seeking out new bands in that genre.

I’m still friendly with my in-laws, but I will never respect or trust them in quite the same way.

They’re very liberal and proud to “believe the science!”, always making fun of conservative anti-vaxxers.

And yet, during a major COVID wave, they went bar hopping without telling us (we were all going to a family member’s wedding, so my partner and I were trying to be VERY cautious and avoid bringing any germs to this wedding). Then they coughed all night without bothering to test. And once they tested positive, they started googling different countries’ COVID policies looking for any guidance that would “let” them go to the wedding. With the bride’s 90-year-old grandpa in attendance.

On the plane ride back, I emphasized the importance of wearing N-95s in case we were still contagious … but as soon as I got up to pee, I realized they were both napping UNMASKED.

But somehow they’re not the problem. If only those stupid Trumpies would wear masks, then we wouldn’t have a pandemic.

We had an awkward semi-falling out over this at the time. And yet, the next time we visited his family, people were coughing all over the place AGAIN, and no one had tested AGAIN. (This was over the holidays, so I would have been “stuck” there and unable to see my own family if anyone actually had COVID, which thankfully they didn’t this time.)

At this point, I’ve just come to understand and accept it. His parents were always the fun ones - they have people over all the time, they’ll cook for you, they can hold their liquor, they’ll light up a joint while blasting Grateful Dead. They’re also politically vocal and super woke for their age.

But don’t expect them to be honest if it might interrupt their fun. Don’t rely on them. Because really, they only care about other people when it’s either fashionable or convenient.

Fat > sugar, IMO

I was never interested in frosting, but then I met buttercream frosting, cream cheese frosting, and the like. When used sparingly, without overwhelming the cake/cupcake, it’s divine :D

Tangentially related, someone told me that Brussels sprouts have been bred (er, cultivated? what’s the word?) to be less bitter in recent years. So all of us who remember hating sprouts and now love 'em, it might be legitimately better!

-Here’s the weirdest one: I used to hate the French language (too “mushy”!) and was super excited that my college offered German. I took THREE YEARS of German. Now I’ve forgotten it all, but I’m really into French and actually considering a French immersion program to get more conversational.

-Also, I used to love loud & stimulating environments (metal shows, night clubs, etc.) while now I appreciate tranquility. Gimme a used bookstore or nature walk any day! I went to a drag brunch recently cause it seemed like the kind of thing I should like as a gay-ish Millennial woman. But it was SO not my thing … the lights, blaring music, close bodies, and cell phones documenting every second just ruined all the nice/chill things about brunch. And I can’t survive an actual concert without earplugs.

-Food-wise, I hated seafood as a kid. Now I love it, including oysters and scallops and octopus and sushi/ceviche of any kind.

Neurotypical here, as far as I know.

No, there is nothing about brushing my teeth that’s automatic. At some point during the evening I usually notice fuzzy-feeling teeth, or as I’m nodding off while reading my book will think “oh no, I never brushed my teeth…” There is always some small element of discipline to getting up and doing the thing. But I can usually remember without having to set an alarm or post a sticky note, if that meets your definition of “habit”.

Exercise is brutal and IMO, that never gets easier, either. In contrast, I generally have an easier time with mental discipline & focus compared to physical tasks.

Strangely enough, as a (mostly) white Millennial woman, the majority of my peers now claim to have adult-onset/adult-diagnosed ADHD. Maybe this is an accurate diagnosis for some. And even if it’s an exaggeration in other cases, who cares, as long as the coping strategies or medication is improving someone’s quality of life.

What’s sad to me, though, is when the diagnosis becomes an all-consuming identity and an excuse to stop trying altogether, a way to shut out the rest of the world. These women I know who excelled in school and work or had creative hobbies and traveled the world, now they just post mental health memes all day and joke about how it’s impossible to get out of bed. And if anyone suggests maybe they TRY getting out of bed and see how it feels to participate in X, Y, Z activity like we used to, then come the accusations that we’re clueless NTs who will never understand what it’s like to struggle.

And that’s just not true. NTs also work hard and struggle at times…that’s life. So let’s just make sure all these diagnoses are helping and working FOR us rather than AGAINST us. And sometimes forgetting to brush your teeth is just … forgetting to brush your teeth.

whoopsidoodle!

I would probably be just as awkward and just as bullied. No thanks.

Goldfish and dump in a “sharing size” bag of peanut m&ms. It’s that perfect mix of salt and sweet … I call it my fat kid trailmix

Somehow I always gravitate to the Atlantic … so much that I actually felt bad after years of refreshing my browser for free articles, and now I actually pay real American dollars for a subscription.

Also, a few ultra local and free newspapers that with an online presence, especially when I’m in the mood to escape depressing national / international news.