lol did you put a spoiler in your story about spoilers?

Thanks so much for sharing! I’ll have to experiment for dinner tomorrow (I’m blessed to have a local eco store that sells everything you mentioned).

TempleOS made for a wild weekend.

You got me drooling - any recipe suggestions? I’ve both ingredients in my fridge!

Young me went to a strict, highly academic school where we had a lot of rules written in the back of a pocket diary we had to carry around (to log homework, sports training and fixtures, etc).

I was also a little rebellious and I hated being told what I could or couldn’t do.

One day, our Art teacher is off sick and an English teacher who hated my insubordinate guts sat in on the class and made us do sketchbook work in silence.

I’d just got my hands on the first MP3 player to hit the market (by doing a lot of gardening work for family members). So I popped in my ear buds and started sketching.

A minute or so later, the buds are yanked out of my ears and the English teacher confiscates the MP3 player, saying it’s against school rules to have one. I, naturally, object rather passionately and get myself written up for having a banned item in school.

Later that day, I’m pulled into one of the disciplinary staff member’s office to be given an ear full. After they finished chastising me, I pulled out my little pocket diary, flicked to the back, and read:

“Students are not permitted to possess nor use CD or cassette players on school grounds”.

Me: “This is an MP3 player. It’s neither of those things.”

After a long silence, I’m handed back my MP3 player and told to not bring it back again.

The next term, the new diary has a mysterious little amendment to the rules, now mentioning “audio” players instead.

But that very term I also spotted that “All students must have a school tie” with no specification that one must actually wear it…

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Where’s the repo? I don’t see a link. Really nice work!

Fabulous!

This is a really good suggestion. Starting a group and building a welcoming space to meet and share interests is a wonderful thing to do for others and a great way to meet new people.

Thank you for saying that! Just trying to do my part and make Lemmy the warm and wholesome place Reddit was back in its heyday. We’re all humans, hurtling through space on our lonely rock. We’ve got to look out for each other as, unless you’re religious, no one or no thing else will.

So much this. You can make a new friend at any age or stage in life. My grandparents are in their 90s and they made friends with a couple who just moved into their village only a few weeks ago and now they’re going to the local cinema together once a week followed by an early dinner!

What are your interests? There’s often a local group for any kind of activity, from Dungeons and Dragons to rock climbing.

The best thing about meeting people through shared interests is that it’s a huge ice breaker - you know there’s definitely something you’ll have in common and can talk about with people in the group.

There’s sites like MeetUp for finding local groups - even a walking group is still a great way to meet people and get some exercise. Also Bumble isn’t just a dating app but also a friend-making app (I think they call that feature BFF).

Check out this website too for finding similar apps and sites to the ones I’ve suggested above as you never know what site will be more popular in your local area.

Also, you mentioned you’ve got a kid. Depending on their age etc, you should try and get involved with any events or extra curricular activities they do as you meet other parents there and you’ll have something to talk about (your kids). Perhaps there’s some local clubs or activities your kid can join and you can talk to other adults there during pick up and drop off (turn up early - it’s a great way to bump into people).

Regarding my last suggestion, approach other parents with honest questions like “How is your kid finding [this activity]?” or “Sorry to bother you but you wouldn’t happen to know of any other good kids activities in the area / suggestions for fun weekend things to do or places to go with your kid?”.

Make sure you introduce yourself afterwards along the lines of “I’m so sorry, my name is [your name]. I’m so rusty with talking to adults outside of work. With work and the kid, I don’t talk to adults enough haha!”.

You’d be so surprised how many other parents are in the exact same boat as you - it’s really hard to meet people unless you put concerted effort into it.

Finally, start saying hi to people when you’re walking around your local area or browsing local stores and cafes etc. I always greet my neighbors when I’m out for a walk and whilst most times it’s just a nice “Morning” to one another as we keep the same pace and walk past each other but several neighbors have actually stopped to chat (they instigated after my friendly “Morning”) and now I’ve gained a few new friends only a few doors away.

Walk with a smile and with friendly posture (hands out of pockets and with a straight back and shoulders). You’ll be so surprised how effective presenting yourself as a kind and approachable person is in itself a huge ice breaker and other people will want to chalk up a conversation with you.

Hang in there. It all takes time but keeping the welcoming attitude about yourself, day after day, a few weeks of “Morning!”s can turn into conversations which can grow into friendships. I believe in you!