Oh I did love swing shift when I was younger. But it was 4 - midnight. Could walk home, and stop for a drink on the way, too. Go home and sleep 8 hours and still not get up too late.

Unfortunately back then I had to have more than one job to survive, but I do like that late-but-not-overnight shift.

I am, and in a 'right to work" (labor unfriendly) state as well. But have been at the same place for 13 years, and am flexible with them because they are flexible with me. Will stay late if needed, (I leave Wednesdays for overflow and tell my boss that is the day I can work late) but take time for appointments when I need. And I don’t answer emails after I go home, am not reachable. I’m not sure why, but they seem to think I am a top performer. As far as I can tell it’s not objectively true, but I’m not the one evaluating it.

People at my job also take long lunches to work out if they want. It’s a participation sports company.

I don’t believe in doing too much, that does no favors for your coworkers or the people who come after. I say good things about my coworkers to their bosses, too. Anytime I can possibly give someone else credit I do.

I work 9-6, go to yoga, eat supper, hang out with my husband awhile, sleep 11-7, have a leisurely morning because my commute is a short bike ride, have 4 weeks of PTO at this point and I USE it. Weekends I have free most weeks. I can come in late or leave early for appointments.

But honestly it works best when one or the other of us are working from home, to take care of some of the household stuff & pets, and we have someone come really clean the house fortnightly, so we don’t have to spend weekends doing that. And I like gardening so that’s not such a chore.

Yeah, a run.

Cherries or dried cherries are good for pain, but for anxiety, exhausting my body calms my mind.

If you are not able to run, sex helps or yin yoga poses. But not as much as cardio. Get worn out physically somehow.

I LOVE reading. Books, comics, Lemmy posts & comments too. Not AI conversations, those apps are relentless suck-ups.

But you don’t have to. My own kids I kept making them try books until they found stuff they like but 3/4 of them still like reading, one doesn’t, that’s fine - we are all different and it’s not like you are illiterate, you can read and write as communication.

I am not sure. Older and experienced, though. A few before my first monogamous run with my ex, that lasted about 20 years, then a few more, then my husband & I did some swinging, and have settled down to just us for about 8 years. But every day, it’s nice.

Income taxes - I do “the taxes” at year end not “my taxes” because we file as married. But when I was single I did “my taxes”

Sales tax, never. That’s just “the sales tax”

Property tax, also I say “the property tax”

I do use “my taxes” or “our taxes” (the collective group of taxpayers) when complaining, like “why are my taxes used to blow up little kids and siphoned into the pockets of people who don’t need the money?” Because it’s money we earned and being used in ways most of us would strongly object to.

Yes. Cats here should be indoor cats. Even in the city there are raccoons, coyotes, alligators, dogs in people’s yards, and CARS. I let them out briefly and supervised, sometimes, to catch a lizard if they are watching them out the window. Or as others say, occasionally on a harness to wander the garden, and eat a little grass.

Obviously that’s not always possible, there are feral outdoor cats that sometimes show up, the city has a spay/neuter and release program for those.

It’s hard to say without knowing the first name, go with what sounds good together. Or use your first name as your last name. Olivia Olivia or Esther Esther.

I watch plenty of animated stuff but not specifically kids stuff. Movies I would, shows not so much.

Books, though? Some of the best written and most interesting books I’ve read as an adult were labeled as YA books.

Never mind - looking through the comments at what is called kid cartoons, yes I do watch them.

I have an address modifier for my physical home address (a description to help delivery people find it) and always just use that when there is a ‘company’ field on anything not related to my job. So basically, I make something up, say my home is my business.

But I like the idea of “Independent” a lot. I’m sure they aren’t trying to keep you out, just trying to help you network.

Stare directly at the people who are treating you like a freak for staring out the window.

Gazing out the window and zoning out are absolutely normal human behaviors.

Absolutely not. Arrogant and asshole would disqualify him from being hot, even if in shape and good looking. And obviously he wouldn’t be likeable.

I think people misunderstand the “confidence is sexy”. It’s not arrogance or cockiness, more like the sort of self-confidence that makes you feel the person accepts themselves and you. The people who are easy to talk to and who listen. That kind of just being at ease with the world, that most of us struggle with. That is the sexy confidence.

I have not found one. If I come in at 9, leave at 18, or 18:30, if I come in at 8, same. So I come in at 9.

But in general here it’s a 9 hour day with an hour break for lunch, that makes the 8 hour workday.

You don’t need belief to measure prices, or wages.

Here, kids usually call the parents Ms. Firstname. On sir/ma’am, I did tell my kids to use that with servers, cashiers, housekeepers.

Yeah I hate it and not even going to show it to my husband, he would be looking to buy one.

No. Cooking any food makes me more hungry. Even in the decades I was vegetarian it didn’t bother me, honestly.

It’s normal here (Florida US) “wow that’s a big watermelon”. “Looks like you are having a party!” “Hey, I haven’t tried that, it’s good?”. Or just weather or OMG your baby is so cute, or whatever. General small talk.

I remember once a lady saw me buying a diet coke and asked “does that work?”

I think the US is sort of a middle ground on random conversations. Not super friendly but not aloof.

Yes, of course. Most people die from something. I think OP’s point stands though. Enough morphine puts you far away from the pain even if it doesn’t lessen it (I have used it that way for my very rare status migraines before the state disallowed it) and that does provide relief. When I get there, overdose sounds like the best of the set of bad choices available.