“destructively scan” makes sense. It’s a PITA to scan books–their spines get in the way and the images are warped, so you have to do fancy image editing. You also have to turn the pages somehow.

It’s much easier to cut off the spine, turn the book into a set of loose pages, and send it through a feed scanner

That’s what we do at my school when we scan old yearbooks, if we have enough copies. We keep the loose pages around in a folder in case we need to rescan, but generally the quality is pretty good.

Even teenagers sometimes prefer dead tree books to ebooks. Back when I worked in a public library, we could tell when a book was assigned reading because we’d suddenly get 10 requests for our 2 copies. The students had access to the ebook, they just preferred paper.

Agreeing: Appliances, repairs, taxes, HOA fees, and utilities are all going up in cost faster than salary. The only homeowner cost I can think of that isn’t going up is my mortgage, which is fixed-rate. With a variable-rate mortgage, even that could be going up.

We accidentally installed a white light bulb in the hallway outside my bedroom. It made me feel so pissed off and on edge every time my door was open and someone turned that light on.

Once we swapped it to a warm bulb I was much more chill.

I do keep a tunable light bulb in a task lamp, but the rest of the lighting in the house is warm.

I will say the presidential fitness tests were awful to go through, as someone that didn’t do well on them. Nothing we did in PE class prepared us for pull ups or situps, so it was always me laying on my back and one of the cheerleaders holding my feet down, encouraging me to do one situp.

I’ve never done a situp in my life. I first started trying at home sometime before 4th grade–I remember the room I lay in, trying my hardest. We moved between 3rd and 4th grade.

That makes sense. I wasn’t thinking American-style health insurance vs socialized medicine, I was thinking American-style health insurance vs self pay.

It’s what’s available within walking distance of my office. That’s the only reason I ever go there–to pick up a sandwich and a coffee over lunch.

I wonder if this is a benefit to having health insurance: my insurance presumedly vets doctors in their network, so I’d have a hard time going to anyone unlicensed.

On the other hand, if I got penis enhancement surgery my insurance wouldn’t cover it anyway, so I’d probably not care if they were out of network.

First thought: Superwash or the lovely really rough stuff?

We have 4 large plates, 4 small plates, and 4 glass plates that only get used when our friend that keeps kosher comes to visit. We also have about 12 bowls across 2 styles, which get used faster than the large plates.

Timeline check. Reagan Republicans in 2005?

(Legit not sure if you’re a fellow millennial that goofed how long ago twenty years ago was, or if Reagan Republicans stuck around longer than I thought. I didn’t start paying attention to politics until college.)

Well, back in my 20s a coworker forgave me for leaning Democrat because “if you’re a Republican in your 20s you have no heart. If you’re a Democrat in your 30s you have no brain.”

So, I’d say never. Reality matters at all ages. Well, until you have deep dementia. At that point, enjoy the invisible angels that help you use the restroom. You need all the help you can get. (Source: my mom on the occasions of caring for my grandmother)

It means I didn’t finish my thought. Oops. I’ll go back and edit.

Plastic recorders are great. They’re portable, durable, and most 5th graders have one. Only downside I see is you can’t blow them through a gas mask.

Low quality ones are also wicked cheap. ($2 at my local dollar store)

Not true. I live in a state where we require a gun permit in order to purchase a gun. You have to that a gun safety class and fulfill other requirements. This is more a thing in blue states than in red states.

I personally don’t own a gun because someone in my household has a history of suicidal ideation.

I lost my dad 5 years ago this month. It doesn’t get easier, but it does get less “every day”. I still occasionally dream about him, but less often. I still sometimes have anxiety “can’t sleep” times, but less often.

I snuggle my dog and my teddy bear and that helps. I also sometimes take an as-needed anti-anxiety medication when I really need some help, and it both knocks the anxiety down and makes me sleepy.

I also listen to podcasts to help focus my mind and get me to sleep. One I used to use is “nothing much happens”. She tells a story with lots of detail but little of importance, like a trip to the market, the fruit she picked up, the smell of the apples. Then she tells the same story, in the same words, again, except slower.

Curse you, Mrs. Stovall, my 3rd grade teacher!

No need to shit on my grandmother’s recipe for galumpkis like that.

You’ve not actually linked to where the CDC reports those statistics, so I’m not doubting the CDC so much as I’m doubting your memory of the statistics. The closest I could find from the CDC was that among those 65 or older “about 37% of those who fall reported an injury that required medical treatment or restricted their activity for at least one day”

That’s a bit more nuanced than what you said, and isn’t limited to slipping on ice (which may be safer, on account of all the extra layers you’re wearing).