Thanks, I appreciate it. Trying to have a good attitude and not get too upset but that's obviously easier said than done.

Yep, I keep mostly succulents indoors along with some epiphytes (plants that grow on other plants). I have a couple bonsai plants and am working on shaping and training some Crassula ovata ("Jade plant") bonsai! Succulents are a great entry point for plant keeping as they are often very hardy and are fine with just kind of being forgotten about!

Very sadly same. I have struggled so hard to maintain friendships and family connections throughout my life and am fortunate to have finally found some friends who are patient and persistent enough to basically force me to keep in touch with them, but don't take it personally if I vanish for 6 months without a word. I'm just much happier on my own with my cats, plants, hobbies, and partner and don't even actually remember other people exist a lot of the time.

I find Discord is a lot better than social media for making connections. As another user said, it started out for me as a topic based platform. I get engaged in communities that are about my interests, and start posting and talking there. From being actively engaged in discussions about a common topic, you gradually start to know who you get along with, who you have other stuff in common with, and now I have several pretty good friends that I have ongoing DM convos with about off topic stuff and our personal lives.

Social media in general I think can be great if you're trying to create or foster community or a brand (as an artist, merchant, professional, etc) but for making one on one connections so far Discord is much better for me for creating actual friendships.

This looks incredible, thanks for sharing. Kind of a stupid headline though, might turn people off of what looks to be a genuine and realistic portrayal of the Black trans experience (I know OP didn't title the article, just saying, it felt like ragebait from the publisher).

At the time I used to see him regularly he wore the same pair of disgusting filthy grey sweatpants every day and was rude and condescending as all hell. Pretty sure he was probably going through a rough period in life but that doesn't give anyone a pass to be an asshole.

Believe it or not, most of the big actors and stuff I met while I was working at various big retailers in Union Square, like Circuit City (rip), Barnes and Noble, and the Virgin mega store. There are absolutely a ton more that I did not list and probably more that I have forgotten lmao. Taye Diggs (very nice, seemed shy), James Iha (super friendly and excited to meet fans), Natasha Lyonne (messy drunk), David Sedaris (nice, smells good), Elaine Aberlin (Lady Elaine from Mr. Rogers, over the moon to meet someone who recognized her as an adult, gave me lots of hugs, hard to end the conversation with haha), lots more.

I've always been low key and friendly when interacting with celebs, especially when seeing them while they're just going about their business. I don't think they're more valuable or interesting than other people and I think most of the time that is a welcome break.

I've also gone to tons and tons and tons of concerts throughout my life, many while volunteering or doing activism work, and I have met a kajillion bands and performers like that. Lots of people who started out small and later made it big.

I actually met Joan Jett at a county fair, and when I saw her play again a couple months later she recognized me (and then I saw her play again like 12+ times and eventually started just bumping into her because apparently we have similar interests and hung out in similar places lol). I highly recommend going to see her at every and any opportunity. She puts on an incredible live show that feels like a party and is a super sweet and wholesome person.

I mean, I don't think people being happy in self directed work from a comfortable environment free from the scrutiny and drama of coworkers really says anything at all about "what has the world come to." If I want to socialize, I do that outside of my work hours, and my work is far more productive and enjoyable without the constant interference and distraction of either coworkers or the general public. My experience with my past workplaces are my own, and I am far happier and have a much better quality of life without forcible socialization with people I would under no other circumstances outside of prison or a mass transport breakdown spend most of my waking hours around.

I am genuinely quite happy with my life. I have friends, family, a longterm partner, pets, a career that I love (that I believe does a genuine service to my fellow humans), money in the bank, and rewarding hobbies. I highly value my free time and like to use it how I see fit, instead of trying to wedge myself into social situations I don't find enjoyable or fulfilling. If that makes me a hermit, I am totally fine with that.

(Also just saying you may find a higher than average number of people who are introverted or value alone time posting on a relatively niche social media site with barriers to entry that require at least some level of computer savvy).

Very fortunately, I now work from home in a job with basically zero interaction with anyone at all (it's great) so this mostly applies to casual social interactions at say, a grocery store. I have to say though, using your suggestion in this context is actually hilarious and would be super gratifying.

Thanks for engaging in productive discussion! And yes, I fully realize that in almost all but very specific and relatively easily identifiable cases, misgendering is something that happens accidentally and is not intended to be injurious. But for anyone who does not identify with their gender assigned at birth, it really does feel super bad.

I love that you also seem to have the same regard for social politness as I do. I feel like as someone who wants to use terms of respect to make others feel confident and comfortable, the possibility that I may accidentally do the very opposite of that is something that makes me want to try and better the way I interact.

I collect special interests, usually related generally to weird history and hobbies. Currently my obsessions are M/M historical romance novels (I've read/listened to ~60 this year so far), knitting lace shawls, and succulents, but only two specific genuses (Haworthia and Crassula). These things take up all my non-work waking hours and most of my waking thoughts.

Stunning specimen! I don't think I've ever seen this before, do you remember where you got it? Is it slow growing? Half of my cooperis seem like they never want to grow.

Thanks! I just joined Lemmy and this was the first thing I looked for. Have to figure out how to post pictures but I'm excited to share my collection here!)