I’m assuming this adorable creature came out of that little door and I’m officially calling it a Dust Bunny.

Bump Amber whataboutism volcel police

I glanced at this the first time, went huh… And went about my day accepting it as probable. It wasn’t until later when I saw it again I decided to look at it and realized it wasn’t real.

That says something about the state of the world and and about me, and I don’t like any of it.

Growing up, my aunt had a boxer. Beautiful, lovely dog. It died of the same type of cancer my dad did, bronchial. My dad smoked like a chimney and had since he was a literal child. The dog maybe encountered a little second hand outside, but no one smoked in the house. It lived on a nice little piece of land in the country.

I’m not saying my vape isn’t giving me cancer. I’m saying everything is giving me cancer.

Bump Amber whataboutism volcel police

I only skimmed it: they’re sending cannabis seeds, along with a number of other things, into space to see how they handle radiation. They believe cannabis would be useful for all sorts of things in a lunar or Mars colony.

I think that about sums it up.

Nothing really to do with your instructions. Just my own technique.

My mother was a wonderful cook, and I was her only child. I did help out a lot in the kitchen growing up, continuing well into my 20s. Unfortunately, cooking has never been something that I’ve enjoyed all that much, so I guess a lot of it didn’t stick. I tell people I’ve forgotten more about cooking than most people will ever know. My mother was not ‘trained’, but she was phenomenal. She was the oldest of 6 children, born in 1950, with a mother that was more of a playmate than a parent. This woman could make a feast out of anything. And I was often right there at her side as she did it. But my memory is naturally horrible, and I’ve done a lot of damage with drugs and drinking in the past.

I said that last paragraph to say that while I was cooking this meal, I caught myself feeling nostalgic and falling into feeling more comfortable with cooking, like I did growing up. I guess mom being there gave me a lot of confidence.

Anywho! The changes: I either soaked the beans too long, or cooked them too long. I ended up with more of a bean mush. Still very good, but I think I’d like them a bit more together lol. It is entirely possible I soaked them too long, as I put them in the fridge in a pot with water on Wednesday night, had a low mental health day and didn’t cook Thursday, and finally cooked them Friday at like 10am. There was also a point while cooking them when I thought they were probably good to go, and I should have trusted my gut instead of letting them cook longer.

I’d get more veggies! I was very constrained money wise, so that was all I was able to get. Unfortunately I was also shopping at the Asian market near my house, mostly because I didn’t feel like riding elsewhere, and their produce can be a little on the higher side. I could have gotten way more greens even at Publix (where I work, but more expensive than a lot of stores). But live and learn, or whatever. But I’d definitely want to get more mushrooms, way more greens, and maybe carrots or something. It’s extremely hearty as it is, but I think the carrots would add some nice color and flavor. I actually have some carrots, but I wasn’t confident about when I should add them to the veggies or how long they’d take. Now that I’ve got some made, I feel more comfortable experimenting. I’m guessing the carrots could go in with the mushrooms, time wise.

I am very intrigued about using different grains. I tire of rice pretty quickly. I love it, but it wears on me fast. I want to try the chickpeas, grits, and mushrooms that you recommended, because I love chickpeas. I’ve also never had oatmeal as a savory dish, I don’t think, so I’m excited to try that.

I really appreciate, again, you and the effort you put in to answering my question. I’ve been really struggling in a lot of ways. And of course this doesn’t solve all my problems, but it really has made me more confident in my ability to feed myself on very little money. For now it’s just the beans, but I’m excited to try out the other recipes as well, once I have the money. Unfortunately the second job I had isn’t going to pan out. It’s a contract position and after a conversation with the person training me, it became apparent that getting $13+ an hour out of the job was going to be a challenge, and was probably not going to happen in the short-term. I obviously can’t afford that. So I’m applying to other places around me; see if I can pick up 20 hours a week at a Goodwill or something. Just about whatever will hire me, at this point.

But you caring enough to spend the time, and the result of that time spent, has really been significant to me. I just want you to know you did a good! lol. Thank you so much. Even though th recipes are simple and honestly, harking back to what I said earlier, I should know how to do them. But I’ve lost so much. My memory and its faults is enough for a whole fucking effort post on its own, so I won’t go into it more right now.

I did also download that cookbook, so I’ll be trying some things out as I can.

Much love!

Getting used to my app and replied to the thread instead of your comment. @stupid_asshole69@hexbear.net

Wanted to drop an update and thank you again. I bought some lima beans, rice, an onion, green pepper, mushrooms, and some mustard greens. There’s some things I’ll change next time, but this will definitely put me in a better position food wise. It’s really fucking good!

Hell yeah! I’m really happy to see things getting better for you.

Amber whataboutism volcel police

A gnard-kicking gnome is definitely a Pratchett character.

I have to be honest - and maybe it’s partially a skill issue - but I really can’t. I’m running a deficit every week. I’m stuck in rotating CashApp loans. Every week I also end up borrowing 20 to 50 from friends, to be paid back on payday. So wash, rinse, repeat. And I have to visit mutual aid way more often than I’d like. So the honest answer to your question is a negative number, as far as available. As far as what I spend, I don’t really know. And I guarantee I’m not spending it smart when I’m stress buying the one meal I get that day because someone came through. So I just get cheap takeout for like 10. Which I know is awful, but I do think it’s understandable. I’m trying to do better.

Holy shit, this is perfect. I really fucking appreciate the time and effort you put into this. Thank you so much! I’m saving it to my desktop so when I am ready I can pull it back up easily. I just started a second job, so hopefully within the next month or two I’ll finally be able to focus on actually living and saving and budgeting instead of being worse than hand to mouth.

Thank you, again!

I did leave out some important details, I see now.

Unfortunately I’ve been barely getting by. Assume I have nothing ingredient wise. I have some seasonings, but that’s about it. I’ll definitely have to build up a supply of essentials. I have some pots and pans. Nothing fancy, but I make do. I have an oven, stove, and microwave.

I’m southeast US. COL around here I feel like is kind of high, but it’s no big city. There is a Publix (main grocery around here), an Aldi, Walmart, and Asian market all within a couple miles, which is good because I rely on a bicycle and the bus.

I have no dietary restrictions. I’m trying to move my diet more towards no-meat but I’m not there yet. That said, I welcome meatless suggestions.

You got me 😂 In my meager defense, I posted this right before bed and had already smoked. I left out a few details I should have included.

I definitely fixated on specifically mangos for a while last year. They’re tasty.

Oh good, I’m too old to be expected to understand wtf this new bit is.

Antici…

But in all seriousness, I know the feeling you’re describing, but I also don’t have a word for it. It’s not a great feeling.

…pation.

Hi, I vape. You’re not wrong at all. One day I will quit, but for now it’s a psychological crutch (and physical addiction) that is less bad for me than the pack+ a day I smoked for like 9 or 10 years. I didn’t take your message as an attack, for the record. Just giving context for the rest. I would never intentionally blow vape in anyone’s face and have gone to great lengths to avoid doing so. The only exception to this has been with partners and friends where it’s an in thing.

Those same people would have probably blown cigarette smoke in your face, but there was such a negative social connotation. For some reason, people who vape seem to think that because it’s not smoke they are magically allowed to blow it in your face now and 'look cool '. For some reason not enough people are decking these individuals, so we’re not building that negative connotation properly.

Maybe some of these people are too young to even know that blowing cigarette smoke in someone’s face is rude? I’m in my 30s. That feels like more benefit of the doubt than I’m willing to give the overwhelming majority.