When the mods ban US politics the day after an election.

From my experience, I would say it really depends on what kind of smoker you are.

I smoked on and off for over twenty years. I made strong associations with cigarettes in my college years. It was a way to get away, to be different, to meet new people, to relax, etc. Sometimes I smoked two packs a day, but more often a pack a week. I smoked the most while driving or after work or at the bar. My friends at the bar smoked, my girlfriends smoked, my coworkers smoked.

I read long ago that, for some people, nicotine fits like a puzzle piece into a receptor in their bodies. I believe I lack this receptor that causes biological addition and my smoking was due more to Pavlovian conditioning. I never had a morning craving. I never got “the shakes”. I quit over a dozen times, sometimes for more than a year.

When I was finally ready, and I have to emphasize that you need to be ready, I actually went out of my way to not have a cigarette while doing the things I strongly associated with smoking. I knew I was ready and it was going to stick because I quit over the course of “Beer Week” (Beer Week is when all the bars in the city have beer specials and events and serve one-off or collaboration beers from around the world). It was the worst time to quit but also the best time to quit. It was a challenge. When my friends at the bar all went out for a smoke, I joined them - without a smoke. When I was done eating dinner, I’d go outside and just sit and think without the cigarette. I even went for a drive with a cigarette in my hand and pretended to smoke it without lighting it up.

Being ready to quit isn’t about knowing it’s bad for you. To be really honest with you, I quit because I was flirting with a super cute girl who happened to be a doctor (I still remember her name - Rose. Because Rose + Doctor Who). Everything was going great then I interrupted her so I could go outside for a cigarette. The disappointment felt by the both of us when I returned was the gut punch I needed. I still have that pack of cigarettes that I only had three smokes out of.

I’ve not had a single urge to smoke for nine and a half years now.

Or you could try hypnotherapy. Worked for my mom after smoking for over 45 years.

Coven - Satanic Mass (not “music”)

Bach - Toccata And Fugue In D Minor

Victoir Peraino’s Kingdom Come - I Put a Spell on You

It’s not terribly difficult to get on the ballot. But each state has their own requirement so the third party candidates you see may not be on every ballot nation wide.

It’s not just the media that promotes the two candidates. It’s the billionaires and corporations who invest the most money in promoting someone they find favorable to their interests. Given the bankroll surrounding these two parties, the media really don’t have much choice but to reflect their advertising efforts.

In the US, we have what’s called first past the post elections. That essentially means the first person the get the most votes wins. In this case, it’s electoral votes, not individual votes.

Had the US had something like ranked choice voting or star voting in general elections, third party candidates would be given much more attention.

Given the voting system we have, we mostly vote in a manner that prevents the election of the most popular candidate we don’t like.

Secretly, I’ll pass judgement on someone until I realize I know nothing about them and would be unhappy if someone judged me without knowing anything about me. Then I judge myself for being judgmental.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/commonly-confused-words/all-of-a-sudden/

For football fans, the answer is Monday.

He’s a compulsive liar who’s angry at things he’s fabricated for his own benefit. How the fuck is he even being considered for the job?

I don’t even have vibration on. The display will turn on to show notifications but the vast majority of the time my phone is in another room on the charger. I even leave it at home some times.

I’ve had trouble listening to podcasts while I’m home doing other things. Perhaps I should try audio books and sitting down to do nothing but that. Generally, I don’t like audio books for a bunch of reasons but they could be applicable for this issue. Thanks for the suggestion.

100%. I don’t get any marketing or robocalls so it’s either family, someone from work, or someone from an appointment or delivery I have. At this point, I much rather speak with someone on the phone than sit around and text back and forth.

You may consider getting some labs done. I was deficient in B12 and found taking vitamins did help a bit. Cutting out / back on carbs and beer helps even more.

Not to entirely discount depression, but I have the opinion that we’ve become so addicted to a life of instantaneous everything that even brief moments of nothing happening can feel like withdrawal.

One suggestion: instead of regularly turning off your phone, just permanently put it in silent mode. Really consider what you must know immediately (for me it’s family phone calls) and allow only those notifications to come through. Everything else can wait for you to find the time to get to them.

I also struggle with this so I’m interested in the conversation. I love to read but have a really hard time choosing a book over television. I’m mindful of “blue light” and try to stop using any screen at all after 8pm but that can be difficult if I just want to unwind after a long day. People did it before tv though. I think maybe a less fulfilling life, or life fulfilled less, may actually be more healthy.

Rob a bank.

https://www.aamc.org/news/microplastics-are-inside-us-all-what-does-mean-our-health

My take-aways from this article:
There’s no good study on microplastics in humans.
They’ve tested “pristine” plastic on mice and it’s pretty bad.
The plastics we’re exposed to are loaded with chemicals and toxins.

She carries a stainless-steel water bottle and avoids plastic water bottles. She doesn’t microwave food in plastic containers and only uses glass, wood, or metal kitchen items, including mixing bowls, spoons, cutting boards, and food storage containers.

takes her shoes off to avoid tracking in dust from the outside and uses a HEPA filter to capture particles from the air.

Great point. Tires are one of the leading products polluting our environment and lungs.

This article also links to The Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment at UCSF which offers a guide for minimizing exposure to bad stuff. https://prhe.ucsf.edu/toxic-matters

Here’s a relevant NYT Article - How to Minimize Your Exposure to Microplastics

Did you and your doctor not have this conversation!?

Or are you more inclined to listen to the internet over the person who’s job it is to pull all your teeth out of your head?

Answer: Oxy.

Here’s what I’ve shared with my company.

margretthatcheris110%SEXY

Tranquility https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tranquil

Sometimes prices are a thing too, it can be a lot cheaper online and unless you’re rich this does make a difference

Just a word of caution - I have found some retailers like Amazon and Target to sometimes be more expensive than local stores. Things like kitchen and bathroom items in particular.

Thanks! I’ll fix that.

I can definitely appreciate buying clothes in store https://lemmy.ml/post/17369601 What I neglected to include in this account was the incredible staff at the store who went above and beyond to help me find proper sizing when they knew I wasn’t even making a purchase then and there.

On the other hand, I did buy sneakers in a store but there wasn’t anyone to help me find the right pair. It seems like many corporations aren’t willing to pay people to work in stores as much these days. Instead, they can just offer free shipping and free returns for less money than paying someone a living wage.

I can not tell you how many times I wish Radio Shack were still around. I’d gladly pay more money to solve a problem now than have to wait for something to ship over from China.

I used to work in a car stereo and home theater shop. I can tell you that online reviews, even YouTube videos done by “experts”, are no where close to an in-person experience. It’s sad and incredibly frustrating. I just bought another set of highly regarded headphones which I found to be severely overpriced and under performing. I’ve been around high end audio for over twenty five years - I actually know what I’m listening for.

I think the point you raise is that people who care about the things they’re buying would generally prefer to buy that thing in person. Others who may not care as much or not be as knowledgable are content buying whatever the internet tells them to buy - regardless if it’s proper for them to make that specific purchase. I have to wonder how many unsatisfied customers there are out there who either throw things away or have to keep buying replacements.

I appreciate this. I had a hard time coming up with the proper wording. If a value decreases one year by 5% then decreases 7% the following year, is that not an increase in the value’s decline?