Had a long walk last night as part of my plan to get HDL Cholesterol up and my LDLs down.

Part of my walk involved going through a park near my place.

And in that park is a small bay with a pedestrian bridge.

And last night as I was going on the bridge, I saw a young guy standing on the railing and looking down... and that set off alarm bells in my head

I looked at him as I was walking... and as I walked past, turned around and said "You okay?"

He didn't say anything.... and I repeated it 2 more times before he responded with a 'no'.

So I walked to him and asked him what was going on... and we started to talk. He came down from the railing and we talked more.

Essentially he was thinking of killing himself. The whole Covid thing, losing his job, not being able to see friends has gotten him seriously down and feeling like he has no purpose.

We had a long talk and I essentially shared some of my own experiences and what I learned over the years in terms of how to get through difficult times and stay sane.

I also told him that if he hurts himself, he's also hurting everyone who cares about him and that as bad as things seem, it will pass and it will get better... and then cited how vaccines for everyone are on the horizon and other things.

And I also pointed out that as a young, able-bodied guy, before he departs this world, he should do a list of things first... including asking a girl he likes out... me saying "what do you have to lose? If you try and fail, you're no worse off than you were before. But if you try and succeed, then you are better off... unless she turns out to be psycho. If she's psycho, then dump her and move on".

Incidentally he actually did ask the girl out while I was there and he now has a date for this Friday.

Though I warned him not to build up this girl and the date too much in his mind... and then we had a discussion about dating and how dating is tougher for guys when they're young, but it usually gets easier for guys as they get into their 30s and 40s (as long as you're of sound mind and body).

I also talked to him extensively about the worst time in my life I had in the past and how I got through it and what I learned.

We exchanged info, let him know he could call/text me any time and I walked with him for part of his way home (he lives in my area).

After we parted and I was heading home, there was another guy I crossed paths with. He seemed to be in good spirits.
We said hello... and he asked me if I was okay and whether I was homeless (I supposed this was due to me walking at 11:30pm at night)... I told him I was fine. I would have chatted with him, but it was getting late and I had plans to watch SNL with my daughter (which I was already late for).

I have to say... it was one of the more unusual walks I've had.

And I got in a total of 18,223 steps yesterday.

And now I shall give you two songs that helped me through the most difficult time I had:

@aestheticsinmotion

Sounds like her motion damaged the building's aesthetics...

I got a phone call and when I answered, it was a fax machine.

That is all.

BMW E38 with a fax machine, VHS, car phone and TV for your time:

So I’ve been helping my nephew buy his first car ever. He was looking for something basic, reliable, with low operating/repair costs for under CAD$4000 (before tax)... with automatic.

So I had him looking at various smaller Toyotas, Hondas and some other cars... and he didn’t want anything bigger than a 4 cyl Accord or Camry.

And of course some cars like the Focii and Fiestas with the PowerShit transmission were off limits.

Yesterday he settled on the Civic above. It’s a 2001 Civic with only 149,000km, no rust, is safetied/e-tested for CAS$3900 plus tax and registration.

Ryan is tired...

@cb said in Had an unusual walk last night...:

@manwich Good on you for helping out so
Some in need. You’re a good man.

Thanks. Years ago in my early 20s, I had a friend who was the same age as me commit suicide. I felt I hadn't done enough or paid attention enough and should have done more as his friend.

So I promised myself that if I ever saw someone in distress, I would at least try to help.

Death is a fact of life. People die every day for a variety of reasons. And though I can't fix everyone's problems, I can at least try to help. Not everyone wants help though.

Last night, my instinct told me that unless I spoke to him, I may very well read/hear in the news a report of a young man who had gone 'missing' in my area soon... and if that happened knowing I walked by without saying anything, I would feel absolutely terrible.

@dtg11
So now you have one Xtrra Xterra...

@carsoffortlangley said in The Full Story: (Personal):

My wife, who's four months pregnant, has left me. She indicated that she felt like she's missed out on things in life and that while she still loved me, she didn't see a future for us. She thought the baby would change her feelings and it didn't.

Oh man... that is absolutely brutal.

"My future is currently tough to think about"

Well let me tell you a couple of things... in the divorce, insist on shared custody. In addition to that, insist on you taking your share of the maternity/paternity leave so that she can get back to work sooner.

She flaked out on the relationship, now don't let her flake out on having to work.

And about the house... you're selling the house and getting your share right? If not, then she needs to buy out your 50% share. Or do what I did and you buy her out if you can swing it.

I'm divorced myself and have my two kids full time with me. Initially we did shared 50-50 custody. But I still had to pay some child support as she never got her shit together financially and I've had the kids full time since she had to move back into her parents house.

(sidenote: The "child support" system in Canada is bullshit... the only time nobody pays support is if you have the child at least 40% of the time AND you and her make about the same money. And when you read the case law, you realize fast that it's all about the money. And the child support tables are also bullshit... and are in no way tied to the actual cost of raising a child. It's all about 'lifestyle rebalancing'... which is to say it's a combo of child and spousal support combined in practice. It's absolute bullshit.)

And I'll tell you the same thing that was told to me when I was going through tough times... as bad as things seem right now, trust me, it gets better.

And yours isn't the only story like this that reinforces my now-cynical view of marriage and the family law system.

And since my marriage ended, I've been in relationships and over the past decade, there have been at few women that tried to pressure me into marriage.

And I remember my own 'lifetime of stress compressed into one year' I went through when my marriage ended in 2008, and I read stories like yours as well as personally know of other marriages that ended for seemingly shallow reasons, and I just see no point in marriage itself.

I think marriage gives a false sense of security.... and the benefits don't outweigh the downsides and potential downsides.

I've also learned that at least half of the people out there couldn't be completely honest and open even if their lives depended on it.

And I have a sneaky suspicion that your now-ex isn't being completely honest with you either.

I've actually gotten pretty good at sussing out the whole truth to the point that it actually scared some women I've been with because the BS they would pull that worked on other guys simply didn't work on me.

In your case, if I was there when she said that she still loves you but feels she missed out on things in life, I would cut in at that point and call BS on that. If she truly loves you, she would figure out a way to do what she 'missed out on' AND still be with you. AAAANNND... with a baby on the way, whether she's with you or not, she's gonna be missing out on things because new babies have a way of doing that.

I know... I've been through it... twice.

She's gonna be in for some rude awakenings over the next year. It might even cause her to want to get back with you... but if that happens, my advice is to not do it and friend-zone her.

In spite of all that, I still believe long term relationships are worthwhile and I'm in one right now.

But I'm never getting married again because I don't want to ever have the potential of a relationship fucking up my financial well-being and potentially forcing me into an unplanned exit from the place I live because the person I'm with decides to flake out of the relationship.

You will find someone else too when you're ready... just like I did!

Just be civil and focus on raising your new baby together.

And believe it or not, I still get along okay with the mother of my kids.... who are teens now.

Went out on a walk this afternoon.
Got in about 16000 steps.
Part way though the walk I decided to start counting parked vehicles with plate stickers that expired during covid... and what percentage of vehicles they made.
And I counted 12 out of 59 cars... or a little over 20%.
That is all.

... and I woke up at 4am to a very interesting documentary called Alone In The Wilderness

I watched it for an hour before going to bed.

It was surprisingly interesting and it's amazing what this guy did with basic tools and his own skill up in Alaska.

This Dick Proenneke guy had carpentry and building skills that makes me feel downright inadequate.

Here is a portion of what I watched:

@way2blu
1st gen Cadillac Eldorado or 1st gen Oldsmobile Toronado

@musashi66 said in I had a dream about Oppo:

@manwich That might be the answer. Thankfully, they stay outside - maybe I need a catalytic converter for my dogs.

If it’s really bad, you might need to add a DEF exhaust after treatment system as well a catch thing to catch Particulate Matter like they have on Diesels

@musashi66 said in I had a dream about Oppo:

@akioohtori They fart enough to produce enough gas, so something needs to deal with the gas. Horseburator? IDK.

Catalytic converters

@roadkilled said in Toyota trying to lose some customers:

Companies that are suspending contributions to politicians who refused to certify the vote risk missing out on lobbying that can save them millions of dollars in taxes.

I seriously wonder how much they are truly saving on a net basis.

@fintail said in Toyota trying to lose some customers:

Surprised at the lack of "whatabout" responses, only saw one.

Oh yeah? WELL WHAT ABOUT ALL THE HOMELESS CATS, EH???

@chariotoflove said in This or That 42:

@manwich
Oh. Good thing I was just kidding then.

<Withdraws offer on Town Car>

Sorry about crushing your Chauffeur-dreams.

LOL

@urambo-tauro said in Tesla Model S with rare features... Analog gauges, Colour TV, Crew Cab and...:

Never heard of a "Geofencing Suspension"

That's because it doesn't exist. What Tesla does have is an active air suspension that was initially an optional feature.

@chariotoflove said in This or That 42:

Think of the Uber potential though.

There is no potential with Uber. They don't pay enough to cover all car expenses including depreciation AND enable to earn a decent wage.

The way compensation is at the moment, the only people who work for Uber are the desperate and suckers.

@exage03040

560SEL for me.

A Town Car with that mileage is at the end of its life. Also, the Merc has a chance at being a future classic and is likely to at least hold its value. The TC on the other hand still has depreciating to do.

@mazda616

What's the square footage in garage space vs living space?