I'm sure there's numbers & graphs that tell the story, but it's hard to really convey just how much purchasing power we've lost. Things like owning a home & having kids with only a single income - yeah, that was normal. And now it's gone.

My personal example is I was able to buy a new car in the 90s fresh out of college. Today, I'm making more money than ever, and yet somehow a new car just isn't an option. I've been priced out of the market. And it's like that for... everything.

And yet, somehow my government tells me inflation is fine.

At my first internship, they made me go through an entire bookshelf of safety training manuals that felt like they were written by the local staff. They were all full of things like "don't put a pipe on the end of a wrench to give you the leverage you need to do your job" and "don't forget to clock out at lunch or we'll have to assume you were gone for exactly one hour". Took me a moment to realize they were in fact telling me exactly what to do, but in a way that would also cover their asses. Always thought that was clever.

Hm, makes me wonder if that was the plan all along. I've heard nothing but good things about the housing act, which is decidedly uncharacteristic of our current government. Perhaps it is the hook they planned to use to get the voter suppression act to finally pass.

The gas stations around me are displacing fast food. If you need food for fast & cheap, you go to a gas station. I have a feeling this is intentional, they're trying to secure a new business model for when/if we stop using gasoline.

• Automobile repair
• Magic the Gathering
• Model trains

This reminds me a bit too much of another engineering story. Worth the 5 minute read:

Institutional memory & reverse smuggling
https://landley.net/...

Avoid when possible. In general, I like their special artwork less than the original. Yes they're shiney, but somehow less colorful. Also mildly harder to read. And yes, the curling issue.

Anyone have the same graph, but for video content makers? I'm aware YouTube cash is way down, but seeing this chart makes me realize I don't know what I don't know.

For me, I really enjoy punching up. For Commander specifically, that means playing Red or Mono Red. It's just... no one ever says Red is too powerful in Commander. That might sound silly, but pick a color or pairing of colors you like. It's a remarkably powerful filter that will let you get started.

From there, it's a matter of finding a Commander I like. That usually means a combination of most of the following:

• A game mechanic or win method that my other decks don't already do.
• Low apparent threat level. Usually that means minimal board presence, but it can also mean the real Commander is hiding in the 99.
• "Wow" factor. Does the deck do something that's actually novel?
• Can I let an Opponent 'do the thing', but still stop them from a 'win out of nowhere'? I have a love for what you'd call Aikido moves, things where you redirect an Opponent's move back at them. Not Red's strong point, but they do have a couple (Fork, Return the Favor, Wyll's Reversal).
• Is the deck fun to play against? Not trying to be a pushover, but Commander is a social game I play with friends. I want them to have fun as well.

In total, probably 8-10 hours a week.

I work full time and live alone. So I lose 40+ hours on the front end, plus most nights & weekends doing all the chores that go along with being a functional adult. Recently, I also added working out into my routine, and that pretty much broke me. Yes, there's enough time to survive, but ya reach a point where you wonder WTF - how come I never have any fun anymore? I've now reached the point where I've had to force free time into the schedule. I now purposely fuck off Wednesday nights & Saturday mornings. Everything else is full. =(

Not jam, but I have a pear tree in my yard. I chop them up & boil them in a sugar syrup for a few hours & then put them in mason jars, so I have diced pears for a few weeks in the fall. They're tasty, although if I'm honest, not quite as good as the canned pears you'd get in a store. But there's a certain fun factor to pretending I'm living off the land.

Related, you might enjoy the moving Born Rich. It's made by a rich kid & it's about what their life is like growing up. It's not a good movie, but it was interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/...

Always wondered about this. Glad to hear there's a crew out there doing cleanup. Nice job y'all.

Well, shit, there's 2 of us. I believe we're now contractually obligated to form mutually exclusive model railroading communities here. ;)