But…WHYYYY? The stupid show wasn’t even that good. Read the books!

Oh, that’s very interesting. I never knew what the mechanism was. I never really learned if it had a specific name. It was just something I finally figured out for myself after a lot of grief with no answers from the doctors.

You’re correct, and things like celery powder do contain nitrites. These workarounds have never caused me any problems, but I’m sure people vary. I can eat regular bacon every once in a while and be fine, it’s only after a few days buildup that I start the Big Itch (followed by the big hives.) Everyone has to work out their own tolerances.

And if all else fails, Bill Burr has a short lotion seminar for white people. https://youtu.be/RiH-_ZUILk0

Another possibility that I had to discover for myself is a sensitivity to nitrites such as you find in bacon and deli meats. Or sulfates in wine. These are not allergies, and benedryl won’t help, although prednisone will make it temporarily go away. I had to just stop eating those foods, although now they’re offering more “uncured” meats, which don’t bother me.

I’ve been buying glasses online for decades, and have never had a problem with quality. Or really any problem at all. I’ve used EyeBuyDirect, Zenni, and others, and have always been happy. In fact, I would much rather buy glasses online than in person.

Most of them have clever websites that let you virtually try on the frames and get an accurate view of how they will look. The frames are just fine, and the lenses are cut correctly and polished. My grandmother and my aunt were both opticians, and I have been wearing glasses since I was a kid, so I know a little about quality.

Maude. Everyone remembers Bea Arthur for The Golden Girls, but forgets about the hit show she starred in before that. Like GG, Maude was bold, especially for a show about a middle class marriage. At one point, Maude even had an abortion.

It’s amazing how times have changed since SOAP first aired. At the time, it was groundbreaking, a real breath of fresh air, and completely hilarious. Nowadays, it’s CRINGE! It helped to change the culture, but also rendered itself obsolete.

Here’s a very early positive thing. I used to be afraid to drive on the freeway because spinal issues make it hard for me to turn my head to check my blind spot. I’ve nearly caused wrecks like that, so I just didn’t go on the freeway at all. When I mentioned this in a forum, long before the days of FB, someone told me about blind spot mirrors. I fixed my problem for less than ten dollars, changed my life.

I don’t think that’s true, at least in the US. Patterns can be copyrighted, but since there are so many iterations of similar styles and patterns, it’s probably tough to enforce (not that I’ve ever tried.)

I knit and crochet, and sometimes pattern writers will try to forbid people from selling the items made with their patterns, which is nonsense. The pattern itself is copyrighted, but not the item made with the pattern. I always find it vaguely annoying, and hope people don’t buy into it.

There are still some variables you haven’t mentioned. How high in the air are you talking, and will the car be dropped, or gently lowered? What kind of terrain is it? A flat, paved surface would be different than a field with rocks and bushes.

I seem to remember a toy car that kids could rev and set down, and it zoomed across the floor very well. A small plastic car isn’t the same as a real one, though.

I have an illness that can sometimes cause a big spike of adrenaline when I overdo things. I can hear it then, and it’s a sign that I need to lie down and do some kind of meditation to get my stress level down. Conversely, when I’m meditating, and get really relaxed, I can also hear it, but it’s a very different sensation.

It’s not a social faux pas, it’s a severe mental health condition, but I have some fear of becoming a hoarder. My partner and I have several of the risk factors, so I keep trying to get rid of stuff.

This is the answer. I made the same decision with regard to Eric Clapton. Yes, he’s a brilliant guitarist, yes, his music has moved me for my whole life, but he’s just one guy. Turns out the world is full of amazing musicians, and new guitarists are coming up every year. I fell in love with West African blues, and so many other flavors. Painless.

I never travel with black clothes, because I never travel, and don’t own any black clothes, because I never wear black, or attend funerals.

Shouldn’t wikipedia send letters to the US government with the same complaint?

I like reaction videos. If you don’t like them, don’t watch them, this isn’t complicated. I think football is stupid, but lots of people love it. It’s a big ol world, and it’s full of people with nervous systems all firing in different ways. Stop yucking other people’s yums.

Some of us are homebound with various disabilities. Some of us are too ill or too medicated to deal with actual social interaction. Reactions offer a parasocial experience that helps stave off loneliness. Lots of things that seem “stupid” turn out to be helpful for disabled people.

This just sent me down a rabbit hole. I had no idea that there are around 500 cases of prion diseases in the USA annually, and that most of them occur with no known cause. They just happen,although not usually in clusters like this. Yike. Scary stuff.

I think it’s cruel to put up with this kind of behavior and use her disability as a reason to excuse it. Basically, you’re enabling her when you could be a true friend by giving her the feedback she needs to possibly one day change her shitty attitude. There’s nothing wrong with telling her that you choose to avoid people who say things like that. Maybe she will eventually change. And maybe she won’t.