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Cake day: June 5th, 2025

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  • I lived in a triple decker back when I was in college and those featured sleeping porches for the summer time. We would drag a futon out there and sleep in the open air with the cool night breezes. Worked well most of the summer (except for rainy/stormy nights and the dog days of August). We did not have AC, just fans. (there were some people who had window AC units in their bedrooms in some of the units). But we lived in a city so our jobs mostly had AC and we would go to the pub, mall/stores, movies, library after work and just hang outside at weekend festivals etc… all AC or uneeded AC places. Frankly, it was just not hot enough here in the summer long enough to warrant a unit and the increased power bill. Once Labor Day came around it was Fall. In the winter we used electric blankets, long underwear, sweaters etc.













  • In order to sign up at the SS website on my laptop so I could get an updated statement, I had to use my phone to take pictures of my ID and myself. It kept failing/dropping. It was a giant PIA. Finally got it to work but I had to attempt a couple different days. I don’t know how someone who has no experience with a smart phone and laptop or tablet manages. I think I heard that about 25% SS employees were DOGE’d as well as many field offices closed and it can be incredibly difficult to get an appointment (some are just not staffed), especially if you reside in a rural county. I have to help my husband get signed up on the website and I dread it. He has a very thin frustration threshold with tech he can’t get to work. I foresee his phone flying across the room.



  • Honestly, people driving huge vehicles are usually distracted by their phones and the amount of accidents dt that are pretty high. They hit pedestrians and cyclists (both bicycles and motorbikes) as well as other autos. One has to be very alert. There are also the assholes who speed weaving in and out of traffic cutting you off that you have to be alert to. Additionally, we have a lot of drivers under the influence since pot became legal.


  • I really had to take a hard look at my spending habits. I determined that I can probably shift at least 75% of nonfood/grocery purchases to secondhand goods like clothing, appliances, tools, furniture . I can’t do much about services (and don’t really want to since they are local businesses) but prices are still higher and I have some savings goals to meet that I had to decrease d/t increase in the cost of basic living (groceries, fuel, electric/gas). There are also some items I want to purchase for independence in case of emergency events since FEMA is basically useless now (eg. like a solar generator, a water tank with manual pump, rain barrel system, garden fencing, woodchipper, trailer hitch for car and wagon trailer, solar ebike) so I need to save because I am not willing to go into debt.