YawningNostalgia

I won't post the photo because the guy is in it and I didn't get his permission but I was walking my cat on his harness in the park near my house and a man asked if I'd seen a cat. He said it was his son's. I hadn't, but I was thinking about it and I had zero Friday plans and I've lost my cat before and it's so stressful. We have bobcats and coyotes.

I went back to the park around dusk because I couldn't stop thinking about it and saw a younger guy and asked him if he'd seen a cat. Turns out he was the son and it was his cat! We camped out for an hour and kept hearing meowing but she wasn't coming out of the swampy area so finally I circled around behind her to flush her out and tripped over logs and got bitten alive by mosquitoes and had the tall grass whipping me in the face and I heard him say he got her! I flushed her out through my clumsiness.

Sorry I don't have a photo for you but I've been feeling lousy lately and being able to do a mitzvah like that meant the world to me. I feel proud of myself for the first time in a long time. I did a really good thing and she is safe.

I can't reveal my first name but it is old-fashioned English--think Meredith, Esther, Olga, Gretchen...

My last name makes me too identifiable. It is an Ellis Island misspelling that makes me the only person on this earth with my exact first and last name combo.

I thought I would change it with marriage but I don't think marriage is going to happen for me, at least not anytime soon, and I'm not putting anything on hold for it anymore.

I think with my old-timey first name I could afford a zany last name. I like Winter and Snow. I don't want it to be too "out there" or difficult to spell, so I'm not going to do something like Zephyr, and I would like suggestions that aren't too tied to a specific concept. Interesting enough but not excessively unique.

My background is Taiwanese and white American without ties to any specific country strong enough to pick a name from some European country I only have a bit of a connection to from generations ago. The white side is Irish, Welsh, and French. I am not trying to stand out excessively. I do not feel a strong connection to my Taiwanese side, and that could be its own post. I don't want something commonly mispronounced. I was thinking something like Shaw? It might make my ex think I'm obsessed with him but he already thinks that so whatever.

I have done my due diligence on harness training, but I was specifically wondering if anyone uses a second harness? My cat is very strong and flexible so I was scared he might slip out of his harness, which is this one: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FQNFNDSD

He tolerates it well but I'm worried that it's too easy to get out of.

I was wondering if a second harness that was more strappy could act as a failsafe and if anyone here has done that.

I can go to any country, with the caveat that my mom would accompany me for part of it. I don’t want to go someplace I’ve already been, so it can’t be Taiwan, Canada, France, Germany, Morocco, Japan, Mexico, Ireland, or Argentina. I’m from the US and don’t want to go to a state I’ve already been to either. I want somewhere that feels very different.

The reason that this is a hard decision is because my mom is up there in age and can’t swim. I would really like to beach and party at least some of the time, but I don’t want to do that with her because we’re not the type to drink and do drugs in front of each other. The idea is that it would be 2 weeks for me and 1 for her, so we would start off together and then I’d be let loose and she’d fly home. When she is there we would do shorter hikes, visit museums, shop, and do normal tourist things. When she is gone I want to party and swim, so I need a place that is rich in both culture and unzh unzh.

The other issue is that it has to be June, and some places we would both be really interested in like Thailand and Vietnam would be too hot for me. Or would they? Idk, that’s why I’m asking.

I would love to visit any country tbh but some would be less fun with my mom. Like in Kazakhstan I’d want to ride horses and sleep in yurts and it’ll just be different with her since she can’t do those things, so I will save that for solo travel. This also may be the last trip we take together so I want to make her happy. I bet the best option is Thailand in winter but June is when I won’t be employed.

My thoughts: Costa Rica–plenty to see and do with her, warm oceans for me after, many activities, but we only speak French, Chinese, Taiwanese, and English.

Cuba–same as above but could be difficult for US citizens?

Puerto Rico–I know it’s part of the US but I haven’t been and my only concern is the stability

Turkey–I was a history major with a focus on the Ottoman Empire so historical site would be fascinating to me, and I love cats, and there would be a lot of things I’d love to see while she’s there and plenty of beaches for me.

South Korea–her idea. I think if we go there not speaking Korean we might struggle to have a good time without a strong itinerary. I want to go to Korea with a person who speaks Korean and can show me more authentic things so I don’t just feel like I’m walking around looking at skyscrapers without a good itinerary. I’d also want to save up for some plastic surgery before going, lol.

New Zealand–only con is a long flight for a trip that will be on the short side for her if she’s only going for a week.

Scotland–I bet we’d both love it but it seems a bit quiet and more the kind of trip I’ve want to take with a lover.

Portugal, Croatia, etc…

To be clear I’m not trying to say that any of these countries would be bad to go to, just that they may not be ideal for a half-family half-solo trip. Other places I want to visit, like Iceland and Alaska, won’t offer the kind of swimming I want to do.

I’d also like to get a bit slutty on the back half. Like it’s actually really important to me that I get to make out with random strangers and do something stupid and stumble home

I can go to any country, with the caveat that my mom would accompany me for part of it. I don’t want to go someplace I’ve already been, so it can’t be Taiwan, Canada, France, Germany, Morocco, Japan, Mexico, Ireland, or Argentina. I’m from the US and don’t want to go to a state I’ve already been to either. I want somewhere that feels very different.

The reason that this is a hard decision is because my mom is up there in age and can’t swim. I would really like to beach and party at least some of the time, but I don’t want to do that with her because we’re not the type to drink and do drugs in front of each other. The idea is that it would be 2 weeks for me and 1 for her, so we would start off together and then I’d be let loose and she’d fly home. When she is there we would do shorter hikes, visit museums, shop, and do normal tourist things. When she is gone I want to party and swim, so I need a place that is rich in both culture and unzh unzh.

The other issue is that it has to be June, and some places we would both be really interested in like Thailand and Vietnam would be too hot for me. Or would they? Idk, that’s why I’m asking.

I would love to visit any country tbh but some would be less fun with my mom. Like in Kazakhstan I’d want to ride horses and sleep in yurts and it’ll just be different with her since she can’t do those things, so I will save that for solo travel. This also may be the last trip we take together so I want to make her happy. I bet the best option is Thailand in winter but June is when I won’t be employed.

My thoughts: Costa Rica–plenty to see and do with her, warm oceans for me after, many activities, but we only speak French, Chinese, Taiwanese, and English.

Cuba–same as above but could be difficult for US citizens?

Puerto Rico–I know it’s part of the US but I haven’t been and my only concern is the stability

Turkey–I was a history major with a focus on the Ottoman Empire so historical site would be fascinating to me, and I love cats, and there would be a lot of things I’d love to see while she’s there and plenty of beaches for me.

South Korea–her idea. I think if we go there not speaking Korean we might struggle to have a good time without a strong itinerary. I want to go to Korea with a person who speaks Korean and can show me more authentic things so I don’t just feel like I’m walking around looking at skyscrapers without a good itinerary. I’d also want to save up for some plastic surgery before going, lol.

New Zealand–only con is a long flight for a trip that will be on the short side for her if she’s only going for a week.

Scotland–I bet we’d both love it but it seems a bit quiet and more the kind of trip I’ve want to take with a lover.

Portugal, Croatia, etc…

To be clear I’m not trying to say that any of these countries would be bad to go to, just that they may not be ideal for a half-family half-solo trip. Other places I want to visit, like Iceland and Alaska, won’t offer the kind of swimming I want to do.

I’d also like to get a bit slutty on the back half. Like it’s actually really important to me that I get to make out with random strangers and do something stupid and stumble home

I care about my health and sustainability. General advice is to check clothing labels, and I won't buy underwear or whatever that has a large percentage of polyester. But they can just make it up and there isn't recourse. Can't sue em and I don't have access to a lab that can analyze the composition. So how would one know?

Need to complain. I tried to call my doctor's office and it was impossible to speak to a person. The AI kept telling me over and over that they care about my pronouns. I don't care about my pronouns, I just wanted to speak to a person. It's Seattle idk what I expected