Absolutely meeting my husband. Joining the military absolutely laid the groundwork for breaking out of my conservative/republican ideology, but it was truly the work my husband put into me to pull me in Progressive thinking. I tell him all the time how he’s made me into a MUCH better human being.
I think it’s eye opening to see how much better everyone’s lives are when they have things like free Healthcare, subsidized school, and subsidized housing.
Not to mention many of our deployments occurring to locations where religious extremism has dominated society.
The military used to lean heavily red as a rule, but I think looking around and seeing the struggles of our civvie family and friends makes us go, “Fuck, wouldn’t it be awesome if EVERYONE could have this?”
Got my husband a light for his desk that is in the shape of the bon fire spawn/save point in the Dark Souls series. It’s in one of those clear resin blocks and it glows. Then we’re going to a bougie ass resort for a 2 day stay cation where he doesn’t have to worry about anything!
Got one of my besties who enjoys D&D a bottle opener called “Tool of Opening”, a dunce cap for his dice when they disappoint him, and a t-shirt that says: “Lawful in the Streets; Chaotic in the Sheets”. Basically a bunch of little kitschy things based on his interests.
Another bestie is (probably) getting some kinda Critical Role merchandise. Maybe a wooden sign for his room that says “Entering Dave’s Dungeon Roll for Initiative”. Still deciding on him.
When we sold our house, I opened investment accounts for my niece and 2 nephews, and I just throw money in there for every birthday/Christmas. As infants/toddlers they’re going to be too young to appreciate it for a while, but I grew up bouncing between “lower class” and “lower middle class” so I want them to have more opportunities starting out than I did. They’ll appreciate it one day. I hope.
My husband and I don’t have kids, and we’ve severely cut back (not fully cut out yet), but really cut back on our meat consumption. I also avoid buying plastic whenever possible, and buy things like toilet paper/paper towels/regular linens made from recycled materials. Actually, if I have the option to buy anything made from recycled materials I’ll typically opt for that. That’s about it right now.
Only tangentially related to your question, but I’m also in a Master degree program for Public Administration so when I retire from the military I can roll right into law school. My goal is to become a Public Defender, which, I know, is fucking hard work with a lot of burn out for little pay, but I do have confidence that I can be an extra pair of hands for an overburdened industry. Everyone in the US is entitled to competent representation, and I’ve no interest in representing those who can afford their own lawyers.
And it burns me up that the rich can often get away with paying simple fines while the poor who can’t afford it go to jail and become essentially legalized slave labor. Fuck that. Anyone I can help save from losing their livelihood, home, family, car, etc, is a big fucking W in my book.
Gonna make sure my faucets have a slight drip and the outdoor ones are covered.
Other than that, we’ve got a kerosene heater and a jackery battery that’s been charging for a few days now. We’ll use that for charging phones/plugging in our wifi if the electricity goes out again!
Baltimore, Maryland has a gigantic green space (second biggest woodland park in the United States according to Wikipedia) right in the center of the city called Leakin Park. It’s gorgeous during the day time, but unfortunately during the evening most people avoid it because it’s become a dumping ground for bodies.
It’s become known in the region as one of the most dangerous parks in the United States, which super sucks.
Honestly, I feel like it’s so easy, especially in gun crazy states like Texas to run a Democrat who includes enjoying days at the range in their campaign advertisements, that Southern Dems have to be throwing their campaigns on purpose for some reason.
That’s not to say we should be advocating for unlimited magazines and fully auto weapons. But there should be a candidate who is like “Hey, you like your constitutional right to protect yourself? Me too. How about we start funding/investigating the programs that are already supposedly in place to catch red flag purchasers, and find out where the issues are there?”
I feel like a pro-choice, pro-LGBTQ, pro-immigratjon candidate would actually make some headway if they just let go of the gun argument, or at the very least dialed it back substantially.
I just really don’t know how the mandatory training sessions doesn’t solve the problem for everyone.
People who are ACTUALLY dedicated to raising these dogs will still get them. Those who would end up as shitty owners won’t bother with the hassle.
Dogs get a better owner; owners get a better dog. Win-win all around.
I grew up with Rottweilers, which were the “pitbulls” of the 90s. I have had 2 Dobermans, one sleeping next to me right now, and they were the “pitbulls” of the 80s.
I fail to see how extermination is the answer when we have other methods available.
Ooohhh have you about buying a band and wearing it on a chain around your neck instead? I know people who work with machinery do that to avoid their rings getting caught on the equipment.
I’ve always thought it was kind of sweet because now your ring hangs close to your heart everyday!