Living with Fran Puns

I have been wanting to move from Philly to California for a career since graduating college in 2010. I already moved 400 miles away to Cleveland for 2 years, so this isn't a new concept at all. Without getting into it, my car was totalled on Christmas. I feel like my dreams are on a massive hold, or dead, 3 months from me leaving, now without a car. Cross country trip was planned and everything.

After visiting LA in September, seeing traffic, fires, and the typical LA shit.. I still gravitate towards it.. (I blame the Lakers) But as a person with bad car luck and seemingly equal industrial design opportunity in both cities, is San Fran's public transit good enough to, say, make the cost of living manageable with a single income? I was just commuting 3 hours a day driving for a job not in my field, and my career is all i would focus on in SF... of which I dont know any areas, since I've been studying SoCal.

I would love to be in SoCal, but I feel like if my next car died, i would end up losing my job and being stranded 3500 miles from home. I figure San Fran is as good or better for ID, pending I can get around. BART?

How good is San Fran Public Trans to get to around this city I know nothing about? Rail, Bus..

I’ve recently traveled to Seattle and fell in love with this city. I checked the salaries - per diem and full time. The cost of living is so drastic vs my market in Dallas, and the pay difference is within $10k/year. San Fran price range bumps are higher than Seattle, but it is still out of range of any reasonable prices.

How can you guys afford to live in those growing areas (exception is that you had already lived before the housing booms)?

Edit: can’t edit the title, oops.

Just started documenting my art and decided I would post some. Here's a little album for the community here.

http://imgur.com/a/Kaz7r

You can also follow on me on Instagram @cateyebrand

Tumblr at cateyebrand.tumblr.com

Hi all, I'm a former foster youth who has been living on my own now for about 3 years. I'm 22 but even now, I still feel a pit in my stomach whenever I think about my foster mum. She was the only one who ever gave me a chance and I wouldn't be where I am now without her support. She took care of me for the better part of a decade before I moved out. I don't know how to cope. Any advice?

https://imgur.com/a/NmQolRt

$444 shipped via media mail and insured OBO, domestic only, g4 cond, read once and enjoyed.

Edit: TRADED

I'm 20 years old and I was really loud and talkative till I was in 7th grade, then boom I just became silent and felt terrible doing speeches and hated almost every social situation. I was forced to run for the school presidential election (cause they didn't find the candidate from my class suitable for that role, basically he was in a relationship; Asian schools sheesh) and I did really bad cause I forgot most of it and most people didn't hear it cause I couldn't speak loud enough on the mic. After that I remember I had to give a vote of thanks( thanking a guest for attending an event) and I was literally shaking as my voice failed me as I was reading from a piece of paper. I only realized like a year ago that I have social anxiety and I have tried to work on it, trying to get rid of catastrophic thoughts, thinking positive, have slacked a bit on the exercise though. I will say I am less anxious than before, but I still feel way different than others. I remember reading on reddit that socially anxious people are living life in "hard mode" and I 100% agree. I had to give a small presentation today, it's been going alright for the past year because of lockdowns but I had to talk in front of my classmates today in offline mode. I don't know how I did, I went there spoke ,slurred a couple of words(have a bit of rhotacism, another thing to add to my anxiety yay!) and finished. The teacher didn't say anything and I just went back and had a seat and tried not to think about the speech but I kept thinking how other people did good and the teacher asked some questions to some people. I'm just ranting guys I don't post much and I've read many a times that writing down what you feel makes you feel better. There are many other moments but I am trying to forget about them as we all are trying to get rid of our cringe memories.

I will continue to work to get rid of my anxiety because I just hate living this way. I hope you guys are doing good and have a fantastic day. Think positive :)

It’s been a year. A few years, really. 2021 has been unpredictable, insane, tumultuous. For me, it’s been the year of almost getting divorced. Of having a second baby. Of moving to a different state. Of getting a dog and celebrating one year of sobriety and falling in love with my husband all over again. It’s been the year of seeing my son turn three, of getting in shape and being kind to myself. Of forgiving myself and distancing myself from the people who abused me. The year of finding the right antidepressant (go team Prozac!) and discovering a little thing called confidence. Of realizing that I am not perfect and, more importantly, that that is perfectly okay.

I have never loved myself, even a little bit. Growing up, I was abused, neglected, traumatized, alone. I developed anxiety and depression. I have had more days when I thought about ending my life than not. I made some really horrible choices as a young adult, but my upward climb began when I decided to get sober and medicated in July 2020. Since then, I’ve been able to rebuild my marriage. We’ve had a second son, committed to raising a beautiful puppy, bought a car, moved across the country back to the state we love (and where we met), switched from an apartment to a house, and gotten serious about health. I’m the proud owner of a squat rack/power cage and have fallen in love with weight lifting, hiking, and eating right. My husband has worked insanely hard for a promotion that pays $300K. I’ve been a stay-at-home mom since our first son was born, and I’m more in love with it than ever. I feel capable, loved, strong, and so incredibly blessed. I want to scream at everyone I talk to and tell them just how overflowing my heart is with gratitude. I never thought the day would come when I felt secure and honestly, truly happy. I had no concept of what happiness was and now that I have it, I want to hold it tight and never, ever let it go.

Hi all! My question:

If you have the experience of

a) having a Non-English name in a English country (especially people of colour

b) having an English name in an English country but feeling disconnected from your (Non-English) culture/or preferring it and not feeling disconnected at all

c) choosing names for your children and navigating which culture to go with

Are you able to offer your advice on the below?

Long story short I am a person of Anglo (Eng/Scottish/Irish) heritage (blood only - no culture) living in an English speaking country and my partner is of African (Nigerian) heritage (I won't be people/state specific for anonymity). I am pregnant, third trimester. We are deliriously happy.

The only thing is that we both have very different sensibilities regarding naming. I thought I would ask Name Nerds your thoughts with the above question.

Husband's View: I would like them to have an English first name so it is easier for them in life (in school and applying for jobs) and a Nigerian middle name to link back to his culture.

I respect this point of view, because it draws on his lived experience. I of course do not have that lived experience, especially with racial profiling in a primarily Anglo country, so I want to respect his stance.

My View: I would like them to have a Nigerian first name (his people specific) and English second name, because I believe strongly that links back to culture and language are deeply important and something we should continue to foster and prioritise.

--

I understand English names are also linked to culture, but not a culture I have any direct relationship with. Yes we live in an English country, but it is not England, and the original culture here is not English.

We both like Nigerian (his people specific), names, and they link to his family who I love. But he still feels it would be a safer experience for our children to have English names, no matter how simple and easy the Nigerian names are to pronounce (there are many very very long ones, but also many three to four letter word names).

Because my experience is that of growing up in a colonised country I have seen so much culture and language is lost through colonisation. I for example have primarily Scottish/Irish heritage - but no links back to that heritage due to colonisation and emigration. So honouring a child with a Scottish name would have a lot less relevance than Nigerian, which we are immediately surrounded by (his family). It fee

So I was terrified when the pregnancy test came back positive

My friend canceled last min so now I’m left with an extra ticket it’s the Nov.21 show. If you’re interested message me.

I challenge someone to come with one of 4 reason I haven’t decided to kill my self and if someone does I won’t. Don’t feel obligated to try I already know what the answers are.

The title probably sounds really bad. Don't get me wrong I love my wife but I can't come out to her because her and her whole family are extremely transphobic and I have no idea what to do about it.

Components!

1. Martin Logan 35XT

2. Martin Logan Motion 8i

3. Klipsch Reference Subwoofer R-112SW

4. Marantz SR 5014

5. Oppo Blu-ray 103

6. Sony 55” EX500

7. IsoAcoustics Aperta 200 speaker stands

8. IsoAcoustics ISO 200 Sub isolator (x2)

9. Monoprice RCA subwoofer cable

10. GearIT 14-gauge speaker cable

11. Generic wire shelf from Walmart

Why I am posting here

To show off my audiophile grade home theater set up.

Background

I am coming from an all Sony 3.1 set up. My Sony AV receiver broke, and I needed a replacement. At the time, I would have been OK with another Sony receiver. Also at the time, I listened to the radio often. But when I started looking at new receivers, I was disappointed to see that Sony had ditched the external FM connectors on all of their receivers. Since I had to leave the Sony ecosystem, I began to critically assess my Sony speakers too. I didn’t have to go far to find betters sounding components that also looked elegant in my living room.

Why 3.1 Still

I enjoy quality over quantity. A high-quality receiver/amp paired with high quality speakers can provide a very immersive experience. The majority of the sound comes from the front speakers, and I am able to watch a blu-ray and feel that I am not missing anything from the movie experience.

Being my only TV and in my living room, I watch TV and news on this set up. It seems absurd to turn on a stack of equipment and have surrounds going just to watch a little tv.

I have a modest living room and I don’t have a dedicated listening space, so a 3.1 seems to fit the space.

Why Marantz and Martin Logan

1. I wanted a music first system that used components that had a reputation of being hi-fi.

2. Crutchfield has an excellent article on putting a 3.1 system together. The author used a slim Marantz and Matin Logan 15s.

3. I am fortunate to live next to a Magnola Best Buy and was able preview the Martin Logans. I liked them more than B & W and KEF. Also, Best Buy was using a Marantz receiver to power them.

4. The Martin Logan Motion 8i is probably the best center speaker that I can fit up against the wall above my fireplace. Its not ideal and if my situation was different, I would be rocking the matching 50XT center speaker

5. The aesthetics - Marantz makes a good-looking receiver. For the speakers, the cherry wood finish on the Martin Logans is gorgeous. This stuff is in my living room and must pass the wife factor.

***Les