My brother’s DND game moved to zoom for pandemic. Why not that? Call the old gang, get a monthly game going, zoom that shit.

Dude, I don’t know you from Adam, but I’mma throw some free advice out here…

Ya gotta take care of yourself. Right now, you’re doing a hell of a lot for your lady and your smallfry, and that’s awesome! BUT! You can’t keep doing that if you burn yourself out, and besides, you deserve some you time too, completely separately of that.

Talk to your lady. Talk to her ‘rents. Tell them you’re burning out and need to make some space to chill and recharge before you deplete your battery completely. Good folks will understand. Take an evening, even if it’s just a couple times of month, and do SOMETHING for yourself. Join a pool league. Go hang at the local game store. Make a date with yourself to hang in a local cafe/check out a museum/go for a local bike ride/see a movie in the theater with popcorn and everything… just do SOMETHING.

Believe me, it’s worth it, and there’s nothing wrong with needing a little you time. It doesn’t mean you love your family any less. Stop being a martyr and take care of yourself so you can keep taking care of them. You got this. Some rando in the internet is rooting for you! :D

You have a dog. Occasionally you bring the dog to work. The dog dies.

Nobody says anything. Eventually, one coworker asks.

This is the first time anyone has acknowledged that your dog is gone. Naturally, you tear up, but I imagine you’re also massively warmed to think that your dog was loved enough in the office that people notice it’s missing and inquire.

I also have ADHD- learn more about what causes it, and the effects, specifically around dopamine.

That having been said, stop your cheating and divorce your poor wife already.

Nope, I canceled after they called me.

Oh, of course I did! It was going to take an hour, but 6 minutes after I called them I figured it out, and 7 minutes after I called them they called me to say the truck was almost there.

The ONE TIME the damn tow truck shows up quick…

Last week I drove to the hardware store late on a long day, did my business, came back out to my truck… and it wouldn’t drive. Started, could shift into gear, clutch felt fine, but absolutely no go.

So I called AAA. Annnnnnd my policy was expired. 40 minutes of dicking around on hold later, i called a tow truck. It’d be an hour, but at that point I was so exhausted I didn’t even care.

Now, this isn’t a new truck- it’s a 2003 Tacoma with 270+ miles on it thst I picked up a couple of months ago, but my mechanic proclaimed it in excellent health not four weeks ago, so having it fail so utterly and so suddenly the day before thanksgiving mid-move (oh, yeah- I was supposed to move on Sunday, and use this truck to two a trailer 485 miles) was just a kick in the nuts.

So I sat there and waited. At least I got to relax a little… and then I got to thinking: clutch feels fine… absolutely no motion… so it’s not a bad clutch. Or clutch cylinder. Transmissions usually go slowly or spectacularly, not usually while you’re parked at Home Depot… so I got out and pushed the truck a couple feet to see if it was some miss aligned cogs or some shit in the transmission… nope.

Shit, the drive shaft? Maybe it was rusted out and finally gave up the ghost? Or someone stole it or god knows what…?

Fuck it, I drop it in 4 wheel drive, maybe I’ve got front wheels? Nothing…

But while where here, maybe it’s the transfer case? Maybe low range works…?

IT WORKED! Quick, try high range! WORKING! 2 wheel drive?? WORKING TOO!!

I drove home, utterly pleased with myself, but still no clue how I’d fixed it. The next day at thanksgiving I was regaling my dad with the saga of last night, and it hit me: I’d bumped the transfer case stick. It had been in neutral. I could put the main shifter in gear as much as I wanted, as long as the transfer case was in neutral, I wasn’t moving. Lesson learned…

…except I did THIS EXACT THING 16 years before, in another truck.