Good thing we have lots of kids, so I as usual cancel out my husband’s vote (if he even bothers this time, R but not enthusiastic about Trump) and all the kids align with me. It may not matter here, with the influx of racist northerners, but who knows?

ETA I have at least one who was not going to vote when it was the two old guys but will vote for Harris.

You can’t make the days longer and I still think the sun in the afternoon/evening is more useful.

It’s true moving the clocks around doesn’t do anything. But I know my kids wanted more hours of daylight after school not before school.

Though I also think school ought to start closer to 9:00.

Preacher, it’s on Netflix now. So good.

Warrior, also I think on Netflix now.

Andor was crazy good too, and Scavenger’s Reign.

Not sure about unrecognized, but those are great.

Hmm, yes if she does not masturbate I honestly think she might just not be that much into the physical pleasure, you may have to just take what you can get - even though you would be frustrated, she may not be. It’s hard for me to imagine, too! But if she enjoys the closeness and seeing you get off, your expectations may be getting in the way.

Even if she gets frustrated, she will probably have to figure out herself what works. It’s really good she is not faking, don’t push her to the point she feels like that’s the answer.

ETA: tight angle with her legs up if she is flexible, or kind of sideways so one of your legs is against her vulva (look up coital alignment technique) those positions with some amount of outside contact like that are very intense dual stimulation, and if you are yourself angled upward the tight angle with legs up will also hit those front areas inside where the nerves from the clitoris run upward.

What does she do when she is doing herself? And is she getting orgasm that way, and is she getting it with you in any way?

If she can do direct clitoral stimulation for herself, it’s possible you are just too rough, a lot of guys are. But also possible that she’s just wired so that direct contact is unpleasant.

It’s hard to recommend without more information but I would suggest a tight angle face to face, that she might be able to sort of grind on you while fucking, to get some vulva stimulation and the inside feeling, that might push her over. Also maybe try playing with her boobs while she’s on top.

Mostly I think you are on the right track with the mental angle - engaging the mind, find out what she thinks about and use that, give up your ideas about every woman being wired the same.

And Do Not Push her. Really listen to what she wants.

Follow is a strong word, I don’t follow any news sources. Used to be able to read the conservative leaning newspaper here, it was OK, literally just a different perspective. It’s long gone. Reason was ok, sometimes a little hysterical now but still pretty ok, it’s where I look to get a conservative/libertarian viewpoint.

My kid with similar hair likes the Verb Ghost Oil. It’s too light for me but adds just a hint of weight and smoothness.

My other suggestions to try are salt spray or a light wax, those can help you get the sort of piecey look.

It’s also possible that it’s curly - often people with hair they think is straight and poofy have curly hair, in which case either rolling with it, styling it like curly hair, or heat styling to straighten it will work better.

My goodness this must be such an individual response because exercise is the only way I’ve been able to modify my weight downward, ever. Did fasting for health one year, 36 hours a week, no change in weight, did get lower cholesterol.

But start walking to work instead of driving? Weight drops. Stop walking the dogs at night? Weight creeps back up. My activity level seems to be the most important variable in my weight. Except for stress, which I don’t recommend as a weight loss strategy.

For me:

If it comes from exercise and I can eat what feels like enough, I don’t notice. Like, literally lost 30lb when I started Jazzercise after having my last kid and had no idea, thought I’d just ‘toned up’ and was confused I needed new clothes, I was underweight by the time I realized, because I was not eating enough to fund the workouts. Appetite did not adjust.

If it comes from diet or fasting, I feel fine in the daytime but it is a migraine trigger. I feel so good going to bed kinda hungry but it makes wake up feeling crappy and also messes up my sleep.

If it comes from anxiety or emotional upset, well, it feels better than eating (I get stress anorexia definitely cannot eat when upset).

My husband said bulking, gaining weight and working out, was the best he has ever felt, physically.

The Verb curl cream, orange tube, is really good, but so expensive per oz because the tube is only 5oz. My kid likes the ghost oil, it smells nice and adds the teeny hint of weight they need.

I am in love with the Innersense Hydrating conditioner but didn’t like their curl cream. Just this month got around to trying their blowout/straightening cream and holy crap it works so well as a curl cream, no need for leave in conditioner it does it all. I still need something for hold, personally, but I comb/rake it in, scrunch, wrap my hair in a smooth towel, when I take it out, perfect definition and curls. And it comes in liters so when I get to the end of the smaller package can buy one that will last for months!

I find Mildred an ugly name, sounds like it means Mildew but worse. Like the most dreadful mildew.

Opal I think is pretty, that’s a good name. As you say you like minerals, Ruby not bad either, my mom had an aunt Ruby Jack, born around 1920.

I did know a baby Eugenia, her parents were Costa Rican and pronounced it closer to Elu-henia than Eyu-henia or you-geenya. I think that one is prettier in Spanish but not bad in English.

I mean, he’s right in one way, you certainly ought to be able to talk about who you are voting for without fear. Communication, debate, and choose for yourself. So really the far right are just reaping what they have sown, I don’t see how he can blame the ad.

I do think some (maybe most) of it is luck/brain chemistry, I feel happy a lot as I get older. Part is just that deep appreciation I feel when I wake up and realize that instead of school I will go to a job that pays me. Having kids was stressful but absolutely did increase my enjoyment in life, my desire to live, if that makes sense. More good than bad by a large margin.

Good news is if you are 40-50 you are getting to that age too - news articles say it’s like we sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor but I think bullshit because I can’t slow down yet and still feel it, it has to be changing brain chemistry and perspective - happiness comes easier now and also fewer things irritate me, youth is an irritable time.

And I guess finally, I really do think luck plays a big part - not in outward circumstances (though obviously luck is very important there too, circumstances don’t guarantee happiness) more in the ability to feel certain things. So my actual advice is to adjust perspective if you can, be grateful for the things you can, get physically active to the extent you can and take time to do pleasurable things because even if you are not wired to feel that rush of “happy” you may still be able to feel content and thankful and good.

I think that the important thing to remember is that just because something gets you off, that doesn’t mean it’s a good way to run the world.

A feminist Dom makes sense to me, they are getting off on the control but only with someone who enjoys it, think lots of those guys get off even more on seeing what it’s doing for their sub.

Don’t worry. I am built pretty straight up and down and nothing fits me either. I think that people with good fitting clothes are probably getting them tailored.

Could you wear a well fitted sports bra instead? Can you handle Merino wool fabric? The Branwyn Busty soft bra is so very nice and temperature regulating, I can wear it doing yardwork. Any other wool I absolutely cannot stand but the soft Merino knits can be very soothing feeling and they stay dry.

I’m a lady but once I went to Target for clothes and came back with 4 bottoms all the same dimensions but the sizes were 4, 5, 7 and 9. All of those were the same size somehow.

I am about the same height as my husband (5’9") and was about the same height as my ex too, but his ex was tiny, and I joke with him about it because his sons are shorter than him, tell him tall ladies make tall kids, he should have planned better!

So really I’m not even that tall, just taller than women’s regular clothes are. At least they make them now, Gap and Madewell are both serious about tall sizes, the rise on those fits well, the inseam too long for me but that’s an easier adjustment.

And yeah I feel bad for really short ladies too, if the petites are just shorter inseams that won’t work either!

Yoga 4x a week (vinyasa)

Weightlifting, theoretically once a week but it’s been so busy more like once a month lately.

Ride EBike to work, walk daily too.

Food, I don’t track calories (history of disordered eating) but do try to eat pretty healthy and do have a garden. I’m in Florida and right now growing lettuces, spinach, mustard greens, butternut squash, jalapenos, fennel, broccoli, cauliflower. In the summer okra is the star here, love it, and also grew some watermelons, Stokes Purple sweet potatoes, and heat tolerant lettuce, mint and basil.

Game the system by having an unhappy childhood so being an adult is so much better? I enjoy being a grownup so much. What are you unhappy with? Were you happy as a kid and if so, what made you happy? I didn’t like school, felt alienated and in general kids have no control over their own lives. So adulthood suits me much better.

As a woman? Brands that think tall ladies are just short women on stilts, so the pants are too short through the rise and shirts too short. We are not all legs! I can get a fit in pants by buying from the few places that have legit tall women’s clothes and then hemming them to fit.

Very close second place is bra shopping, same sort of problem - cup size scales up with wire diameter, but in general small boobs are not small around, they are just flatter, and on the other side big boobs can have narrow roots. They need 3 measurements not 2, like band length, wire diameter and cup volume all need to be moving parts.