I said this in another comment, get a water bottle. Our bodies use hunger knowing real food has water in it. But if the water isn’t working out for you, try switching the snacks to something that might be up your alley. Instead of a chip dip or cheese, try salsa. Someone suggested carrot or celery sticks, get a jar of peanut butter just to dip them in. Carrots and peanut butter is amazing. And to make meal time better, start cooking yourself. Watch a ton of cooking videos on YouTube and try making some easy recipes.
Pipe Organ. The only instrument with the versatility of an orchestra at your fingertips. It can make the room shake or fill it with quiet whispers.
Sadly, Churches are one of the few places, in the US at least, where you can hear the organ regularly. Ones that can afford to maintain such a large instrument and pay an organist.
I posted a similar response. There is a huge Casavant in KC at Helzberg Hall. I heard it when Dr Jan Kraybill was the conservator; may still be, and it was incredible. Worth a trip, and not a church.
This new wipe looks great, and arena mode finally coming out is awesome as that’s a lot of fun. Arena alone has me coming back from a 2 year break that I needed from tarkov to get my mental health straight. That game causes major anxiety/anger issues if you take it too seriously
I’m at 13k hours, nothing gives me anxiety in Tarkov anymore. Died to a cheater? Just gear up and go again. Backend error deleted your backpack with all the kappa items? Go looting again. Did you just wipe the lobby on Labs and Tarkov decided to disconnect you before you could get out? It’s just pixels, gear up and go again. 😛
Adopt the mindset of: Gear is only a means to an end, the end is to complete tasks, level up your PMC and his skills, and have fun fights and interactions with other players. Do that and Tarkov is the best game on the planet.
If you really need to, I’d recommend social media within the Fediverse.
First, a Mastodon account with your real name, photo and a small bio. Post your thoughts or quotes or whatever; repost memes, art, etc. Leave an option for people to send you messages, with whatever privacy you see fitting. In case you worry about it, Mastodon is a known alternative to Twitter, and Twitter is very toxic nowadays, so people will find it reasonable that you have a Mastodon account instead.
There’s also Pixelfed, if you like photos. It is an alternative to Instagram. If you have a hobby, post often about it. I don’t know, cooking, skating, painting… Anyway, make it a beautiful gallery of your life and fewer people will question why Pixelfed and not Instagram. You can always excuse yourself saying you don’t like so many business accounts on Instagram or whatever excuse, and that you like to give new things a try.
Finally, a WordPress or Plume or WriteFreely blog may be a great opportunity to write and share your ideas. It is kind of retro to have a blog, I guess, but it is a good way for people to get to know you better. You may even find something you’re passionate about and create a community. Some people start with two or three pieces of advice about something (like gardening) and end up with a blog full of useful articles and a community that follows them. Blogs usually have an option for private e-mails and a redirection to other social media, so you can have your Mastodon and/or Pixelfed account attached.
Why the Fediverse? You don’t sell your soul to corporations, you help it grow, you get a better community.
But give it a second thought, though. Having a social media profile can be exhausting. I personally obsess over it being a good reflection of who I am, respectful in the things I say, with beautiful images, with colors and themes that reflect my personality, with enough of my real self so that people know me but not enough that they cringe or judge me negatively. My objectives (and perfectionism) make it chaotic after a while, and the profile gets more and more inauthentic. That’s why I don’t have any at the moment. It can also bring some social drama, so, yeah, ponder the pros and cons.
Wife had an important conversation with her adult son. One of those, “I didn’t tell you this before because you were a kid; you are clearly an adult now. There are things in family history that you should know.”
Went well. I wasn’t there because I’m not blood and wasn’t around for the relevant events. Besides, they need time without step-dad.
Spent entire day worried for them and hoping it would go well. Sounds like it did. Good outcome for a kind of draining, high-stakes day.
Reddit had things like over40, over50, and conversation subs.
If lemmy doesn’t have that, I think it should. Those were good places, less bubbled, and often more grounded. Just limited patience for those who constantly need help.
But if conversation is what’s desired, those worked.
I may not know you, but I hope the responses help and that your week kicks some ass.
I’ve quite liked HealthyGamerGGs discord channel. It has spaces pretty much dedicated to exactly what you’re looking for, practicing social situations in safe spaces. Coaching that’s not the hyper masculine pick-up game kind of coaching. Places to ask advice, mental health spaces, etc.
Forums are not social media. God I am so tired of this disingenuous, and intercontinentally stretched argument.
“Hur hurr rhurrrrr U TLAK 2 PEPUL HARE TAT MEN U SOSHUL TAT MEN DIS SOSHUL MEDEEUH”
Social media is a very specific thing, relating to things like Facebook/Instagram/Twitter/TikTok/Etc.
Forums, like Lemmy, are not social media. Just because you interact with people on something doesnt make it social media, trying to stretch the definition to that regard makes everything from clay tablets, to semaphore, to IRC to email social media.
My partner and I have a goal to visit all the national parks, so we’ve done almost all of these recently.
Mammoth cave is by far my favorite, but I’m a computer nerd, and a giant hole in the ground is my natural environment, so there may be some bias.
Gateway arch is okay, but not worth a long drive in my opinion.
Got springs was very neat. It has a different feel than the other parks I’ve been to. It is a bit “touristy”.
New River Gorge is amazing. Be aware that any hiking there is going to take a lot of vertical travel, a 1 mile trail there is more like a 3 mile trail in a flat area. That being said, it has a lot of wildlife, picturesque views, unique structures (big ass bridge) a cozy little town (Fayetteville reminds me a lot of downtown Bloomington) and plenty of activities (hiking, rafting, zipline, tree top obstacle course, history, shopping). Easily a top recommendation.
Congaree. Probably the most wildlife I’ve seen at a park. Snakes, salamanders, pigs, owls, fish, skinks and a shit ton of fuzzy caterpillars. Very buggy, but honestly the mosquitoes weren’t as bad as everyone said they would be. Also highly recommend. The park has a long boardwalk as it’s “main” attraction, which is very accessible. Saw lots of wheelchairs while I was there. I’d recommend taking a kayak tour as well.
Great Smoky Mountains is a great choice as well. Has that authentic “National park” feel. Very big (for an East of the Miss. park) Gatlinburg is nearby for lodging and other activities. You could easily spend a week here between the two. I like more unique “unique experiences” but GSM would be an awesome choice if your family isn’t very adventurous.
Don’t forget some state parks while driving through. Red River Gorge in KY is one of my favs, and easily worth the trip on its own. You’ve got Natural Bridge State Park right there, and the skylift is the best way to get to the top. Shout out to Daniel Boone coffee shop, best breakfast burrito I’ve ever had, but the line goes out the door, so be prepared to wait a little. FYI, this area had a bad fire last year, not sure about the extent of the damage.
All in, I’d say do GSM. Solid pick, easy to get lodging, lots to do if the weather doesn’t cooperate. On your way over, hit up Red River Gorge on the way if it’s not too far out.
Thanks for all of that! I appreciate it! I think based on your and everyone’s recommendations, I’m going to suggest the Great Smokey Mountains.
My wife and I really wanted to do Mammoth Cave either last year or the year before, but my daughter said absolutely not. We’ve offered since to take her to closer-by Marengo Cave or Blue Springs Caverns, both of which are also terrific, but she says she is never going into a cave as long as she lives. She didn’t even want to go into the tunnel at the Niagara Falls Power Station when we went to the Falls earlier this year and that wasn’t even a real cave. And, of course, she hates it every time we drive somewhere and have to go through a car tunnel.
It’s weird because she’s not otherwise claustrophobic. She just doesn’t like the idea of rock over her head.
GSM is a great choice! There are a few mountain-side tunnels you have to drive through in the park, very short, maybe 50 yards at most. Hope your daughter is okay with that.
Shame about the caves. I know it probably won’t help comfort her, but more people are going to die in car wrecks in Indiana today than have ever died from cave-ins at Mammoth cave.
Clingman’s dome at GSM is (or was) the highest point in the Appalachian mountains. Def visit in the evening if you want amazing views. Cades Cove usually has bears and is a driveable trail. We saw 2 bears and a bear cub, plus some deer and Elk on the drive.
I saw in another post that your fam like aquariums, there is the Ripley’s aquarium in Gatlingburg, which was a little expensive IMHO, but it is a decent aquarium.
Skybridge is a ton of fun, but very touristy.
There is a little GSM trail at the edge of Gatlinburg that my wife and I walked at night. We frequently do this in parks. Bring red lights to preserve your night vision, and a black light because there are tons of centipedes that glow a ghostly blue when hit with a blacklight. We also blinded the shit out of a few mice. Try not to do that…
Also, depending on the time of year, do some road cruising in the morning or early evening. You’ll see lots of wild turkeys, deer, and snakes. Please be careful not to run over the snakes.
Thanks for all the info! She’ll be fine with short tunnels like that.
Also-
and a black light because there are tons of centipedes that glow a ghostly blue when hit with a blacklight.
My wife will never even set foot in the park if she hears that there are tons of centipedes, so I think I’ll leave the blacklight at home as cool as that sounds.
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