Indeed.

HJF. That guest list… That wasn’t a black tie dinner. That was an assembly of overlords meeting with the kings of their respective kingdoms. Those are the people one would assemble if feudalism is the goal.

My data MVNO is my only “home” data connection because nothing else is available that isn’t Starlink. That connection also runs my media and image servers to which my partner’s and my phones connect. Between my day job, side gig, and the de-Googled services, it’s pretty common to hit 2 to 4 TB in a month.

Serious question: what are y’all’s methods to prevent/deal with spicy pillows?

The jokes on them! I buy one for every friend who somehow doesn’t already have one. I also manage to kill one about every two years. My lifestyle is very challenging to technology.

You put it way more succinctly than I!

Okay, yes, fuck T-Mobile. But these points can reasonably be applied to all mobile telecoms in the US. Serious question: who is a less evil cellular provider to whom we can switch?

Also, there are plenty of great MVNOs that unfortunately use T-Mobile’s network. Calyx leaps to mind. Even if I were to budget $5000 per year for my Internet access, who can even deliver 250Mbps mobile access with >1TB of transfer per month? And could I do it without resorting to one of the other evil fuckers?

I also make a much higher salary than my SWE friends in the EU. But:

• I’ve been at this for 25 years
• grinding - my work-life balance is garbage compared to my European friends in SWE
• regularly dealing with a fuckton of uncertainty
• had my retirement completely gutted by my partner’s cancer treatment
• got my stock portfolio screwed up because of my significant ESPP; my theretofore trustworthy, reliable employer decided to sell to a private equity firm
• get to travel very little and have to work when I do because of paltry PTO policies; and I get “generous” PTO compared to most of my US SWE peers; my PTO is decadent compared to most US proletariat

I could really go on. That great, yuuuuge, beautiful salary difference is deeply undercut to the point of collapse by everything all of the other costs (not just financial) that are co-requisite to working in the US.

The toxicity is in the dose. If you’re actually allergic to your cat, it could be a seasonal change in his grooming regimen resulting in more saliva on his fur, which means more allergen proteins in the dander.

Another possibility: seasonal change has resulted in something blooming to which you’re mildly allergic. The combination of things might have tipped you over the edge of allergic response.

There are a ton of factors that could be in play, and only an allergist can tell you for sure what’s going on.

It’s like you know me.

I feel seen and understood. And I’m not white.

Although, I’m currently in the Tennessee/North Carolina cold snap panic. People are all bundled up, and I am genuinely comfortable in my shorts and sandals. About 5 less degrees or 10 MPH more wind, and I’d put on shoes.