I’m sorry, what??? I’m just as perplexed as you are, where are you seeing this and can you drop a link?

Nah, like a raver. IYKYK.

This is their sign to paint a sweet ass mural on the side, like the cool people vans of yore.

Unmarked vans are for losers and terrorists, we’re about bitchin’ space horses and such these days.

(Sort of joking?)

There’s been more than a few times my kid has called me out by saying “Use your inside thoughts”.

So my Dad’s an impressive guy, at least to me. Dropped out of high school after getting into an argument with a nun about divine authority, had a kid (me!) out of wedlock, married my mom and joined the military to provide, had a moment of self-reflection when child me did some math with fruit, did night school to get his high school diploma, after several deployments and changes in trade got a four year degree done in two years, became an officer, rose through the ranks and is now retired from the military, doing civvy stuff that protects the rights of servicepeople under the law. Beyond all of this, he is always trying new stuff: baking cookies, making his own clothes, repair on all sorts of shit, wilderness stuff, writing, painting, drawing, programming, photography, Qigong, studying philosophy - the list goes on, to this day (he’s currently on a motorcycle repair kick). I basically watched this guy transform from a disappointed, angry young man to a character you could find in a Heinlein novel and say “Jesus, there’s the competent man trope, right on time”.

With all of this in mind, what sticks in my head is what he said when I did some bogus (probably) IQ test as a kid and ran up to him with a good result: “IQ is just a measure of potential. It’s what you do with that potential that’s the important part”. Whether I’ve lived up to that idea is a separate question, but it still comes to mind these days.

This is also coupled with memories of near blows/fist fights over stupid shit growing up, but that’s also offset by watching him make a real effort to learn and account for/manage his temper. He’s a remarkably chill person at this point.

Love this guy, he is a rock fucking solid dude.

Older folks can seem more angry than other demographics for a few reasons: pain from physical deterioration, disappointment in their life’s circumstances with fewer/no realistic opportunities to better them, people very close to them dying, worldviews that conflict with the realities of modern life, etc. It depends on the individual but pain and the whole “less unshitty time left on this earth” thing are more commonly experienced in seniors than other demographics.

But this is talking in general - to give you a useful answer, I’d want to know more about your interactions with elderly folks. Only one I saw in this thread was old folks telling you to kill yourself - it’s rare someone cold leads with that unless it’s online (the answer is always living, happily, in spite). What happens before that?

Welcome to sh.itjust.works, btw!

Canada, various provinces - either weed whacker or whipper-snipper.

Scott calls it a trimmer sometimes, but Scott’s a dick and we hate him.

Edit: Fuck you too, Scott.

Frank Sherwood Roland and Mario Molina have entered the chat.

Whenever I see someone with sunglasses inside, I always chalk it up to a) not being arsed to remove them, b) light-sensitivity due to migraine/hangover, or c) being on some sort of drug (sunglasses = invisibility cloak/comfort blanket for some folks).

All of these are totally valid. Douchey is as douchey does, if folks are acting polite/keeping to themselves I don’t judge.

It’s not the worst idea, though of course you’d need to figure out if taking a job in another city is worth maybe having to move your family/your wife having to transfer or find a new role herself.

Don’t limit yourself to this, but something to think about re: searching: What private labs operate in your part of Canada (Lifelabs, Dynacare, etc.)? Who holds the contracts for hospital lab sample/supply transportation (this can be tricky to suss out, but if you find yourself near hospitals at all, think about the branding on courier vans you see)? Etc.

I see you’re at lemmy.ca - are you a Canadian? If so, and you don’t mind sharing, where in the country do you live?

Your experience makes me think something re: logistics operations in the medical industry could be of interest, and I see postings from time to time. But availability really hinges on where you are. Won’t lie, they are stressful jobs, but compensation and benefits can be good, and there’s some opportunity to cut your teeth on projects like route optimization and/or get paid PM training.

🎶Gotta catch 'em all, 2C-B!🎶

Dunno if you’re still looking for input, but I did say I’d have more to say about this once I did it, so here it is:

I helped show someone to one of the camps when I was wandering about, and they gave me a great piece of advice: you can think of burns basically as a giant version of the smoke pit outside a rave or a club. Everyone’s having a good time, and 99% of people are open to whatever kind of pro-social interaction from the other participants.

Beyond this, unless people at theme camps are literally knee-deep in logistics/organizing specific stuff, they want you to talk with them. They want you to eat and drink the stuff they have on offer, sit in their plounges gabbing about whatever, poking the interactive stuff they made, asking random questions or sharing random stories (a good story is a gift!), etc. Basically, it’s a safe assumption that people will act like they (and in 99.9% of cases truly do) want you there being part of the action, as your most authentic self.

If you’re anything like me - a little more on the introverted side in unfamilar surroundings - it’s a bit of an adjustment. If you want to be left alone and communicate this, people will leave you alone. But if you want to participate, you will be welcomed with open arms, even if you’re a little awkward. ‘We welcome the stranger’, at least in my experience with the burn I went to, isn’t just lip service. It’s true.

Even if we put all of that aside, you know what’s cool? Seeing a giant ass structure doused in accelerants go up in flames. The burns went incredibly well, and it was certainly something to see in its own right.

Bro - pull the trigger on this. I really do think you’d have a good time.

Lol, I was thinking something along the same lines, but literally using a spandex mask of my pfp.

Hey homie, I see you’re a Canadian, so if you also are an Ottawan and want a sympathetic ear I’d be happy to buy you a beer and chat, and/or help you drown it out for an evening with pinball and loud guitars if that’s your speed. Serious offer - if it’s of interest don’t hesitate to PM, if not no worries whatsoever. Edit: Shit - based on your MP you’re not. Offer amended to if you take a trip out here/an open PM inbox

There’s a lot of good comments in this thread. In my experience, it’s a combination of factors - sometimes a product of your ex shit talking you to your friends, if they were “both of your friends”; often, simply a lack of ability to really relate/be helpful in these situations, and over time getting frustrated with that situation and just saying “bro, get over it”. Guys often have a hard time sharing their emotions or holding space for those of their friends, for a lot of reasons.

I have more thoughts on this stuff, but don’t know if they would be useful to you. The only thing I can tell you is that it can be a dark, lonely and painful road. But it can get better, and to be crude - it is 100% not worth killing yourself over some bitch (because, based on what you’ve shared, that’s how she specifically was behaving and acting towards you) who made you feel like shit for a long time. All that would mean is that you let her define how your life ended. Fuck. That. You’re worth more than that.

Better - you mix it up once and a while, so that ‘yes’ or ‘no’ is not always a given.

Based on your definition of chav (I too thought tracksuits, trainers, and UK urban slang), think about the kind of hobbies folks like this do. Dunno if it’s an exact equivalent, but if someone was looking for a redneck here in Canada, they’d be going to car and truck shows/events, hunting events, small town bars, fishing derbies, small circuit pro-wrestling events, farm/harvest festivals, county fairs, that kind of thing.

Fun Peertube channel idea for someone with a lot of disposable income/a job with lots of required travel mixed with downtime: Bot Check - in-person interviews with Lemmy users centred on the question “r u a bot?”

…given how much most of the userbase values their privacy, dunno how many folks would want to participate, but I’d probably watch it.

Not sure if this is your speed, but poetry might be a good choice - you wouldn’t be the first writer to produce short form poems because you don’t necessarily have the time for longer compositions.

They don’t need to be good - you can work on that part later, as you have time - they just need to exist.