Bunbury

The foundation of the building I live in is from the 1880’s. Does that count?

The only thing that gives me some satisfaction when I read anything about this horrific bully is that there’s no way she’s happy. People who live a happy and fulfilled life just don’t do this kind of stuff. I doubt any outside force will ever adequately punish her for all the evil she has caused but at least I rest a bit easier being sure that her mind is a sad place to be indeed.

When I was about 12 or so I had a AA battery and some copper wire I used for crafting. Out of nowhere I suddenly got really curious how good of a conductor that wire would be. So I pressed it onto both poles with my fingers. Had a nice black scorched line in my thumb for a few months because it turns out the excess energy needs to go somewhere. In this case in the form of extreme heat.

Yep. It’s a big part of why my partner and I opted not to have kids. Not only is not having kids one of the best ways to limit one’s own carbon footprint but I also am deeply worried about the quality of life for us and for all generations after us.

I mean… yes. Definitely yes to the impostor syndrome. But people thinking I had answers made me pay attention differently and made me work harder to understand stuff because people were counting on me to always know.

It was like having an accidental accountability buddy. I could be questioned on the testing material basically at any point in time. So I tried to always be ready.

The way I pulled it off is basically by pure chance. A few classmates had gotten the impression (still don’t know how or why) that I was a good student. Whenever they had any difficulty at all they’d ask me. As such I was constantly explaining a bunch of stuff, especially the more difficult parts of the material. So from the moment I first understood it I just kept on repeating it to others endlessly.

In retrospect that’s probably what helped me get through the whole thing.

Such a cliffhanger though. Now I need to know: Was there or was there not a play date with Piper?

I hope you’re right about the testing. Wish it said in the article. Also more sex ed is always a good idea.

Sadly I don’t think you’re wrong about the puritanical bit. I didn’t think I was but the idea of this many sexual partners in this short a time does make me uncomfortable. Definitely gave me something to think about and maybe uncovered some bias worth working on.

What are the chances that one of the first 50 or so people had some kind of STD and this is just a mass-spreader event? What are the chances that she now has permanently damaged her health?

I’m fine with sex between consenting adults as long as it happens safely. I just don’t see how this could possibly have been safe. And even if (and that’s a big “if”) all of the participants got tested beforehand, what are the chances that the next person “inspired by” her will also do this safely?

Actually in the Netherlands there is a program is called “Drugs Information and Monitoring System” (DIMS). You can take your illegal drugs there without facing any type of punishment. They’ll test your drugs (usually) for free just to see if they contain what you’d expect. It’s a harm-reduction project.

I get that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but surely you’ll also understand those people who want to get certain questions (like kids) over with early. It’s also why a lot of people put some of those things on their dating profiles for others to see before even connecting.

For some things there is no point to proceed if the answer doesn’t match between the couple. Just means they aren’t compatible and that’s ok. Better to find out before you have a deep emotional connection in my opinion. Less heartbreak that way.

Same with politics. I can’t imagine having formed a connection with someone over other stuff and then finding out they are on the opposite side politically speaking. Nowadays politics and ethics are very deeply linked and I won’t be with someone with poor ethics. It’s just not something to compromise on.

For me the relief comes from finally being able to let go of the guilt I felt for not getting it done before. Maybe you don’t feel guilty so you don’t get the relief after the guilt?