the_itsb (she/her)

Mr T knows his balls.

That caption is 🤌

In the US, in the weeks leading up to the new school year starting late August/early September, many retailers will offer discounts on school supplies - paper, pencils and pens, backpacks, etc - to attract customers. Many clothing retailers market it to students as a great time for a wardrobe refresh or to reinvent your look entirely and offer discounts. Same deal with electronics, especially since higher math courses tend to have required calculators. Some states - including Ohio, where I live - offer a sales tax holiday on a weekend during this season to help with the expense involved.

It’s wicked expensive with just one kid, I can’t imagine having several.

the_itsb = the Ill-Tempered Sea Bass, and though it’s a batfish and not a sea bass, I’ve always thought this guy conveys the ill-tempered part beautifully.

Who I actually am as a person is a little more like some kind of crab. There’s the strawberry crab, who is “small, brightly-colored … known to be quite toxic,” which sounds just like me without medication. 😂 And then there’s the black-eyed hermit crab, who “often inhabits shells left by massive moon snails … often covered with colorful pink anemone-like hydroids, making this critter even cuter.”

I think the physical and psychological distress that tend to result from Vogon poetry would be problematic for the celebrational mood I’m hoping to achieve, but there will definitely be gorgeous sandwiches crafted by the loving hands of an artisan of intergalactic renown.

I’ve never seen a recipe for Pan-Galactic Gargle Blasters that appealed to me, but I’m hoping to get that sorted as well.

The original Rice Krispies Treats cereal was the best. The current is a pale imitation and lacks the depth of flavor the original had - it wasn’t overly sweet, and it had a perfect balance of vanilla and puffed rice flavor that is hard to explain.

I’m turning 42 next summer and have been thinking about hosting a Towel Party; this image is going to be very helpful.

How will anyone know I exist if they can’t hear (or read) my bitching?!?

This is a perfect rant in that it is so specific it loops back around to universality. I have no experience with any of the programs you mentioned - I’m only in the comments because I thought my husband, who uses SolidWorks sometimes in his day job, might find this thread entertaining - and yet I totally related to everything in your comment. I have felt all those same frustrations, just with different software; stuff that was perfectly fine getting “improved” to the point of uselessness for my situation.

You’re a great writer! It takes skill to rant so well about niche stuff that anybody can relate.