u/DirectionLast7915

I cannot express how appreciative I am for this group existing. I felt like I was a unicorn. I am beyond progressive, and my politics are way left. But for some reason this has all become a black and white issue with no shades of gray.

Last night I just cried after seeing all of the horrible anti-Semitism in a couple of groups which I have enjoyed because I share common interests with otherwise. I just feel so betrayed because to my progressive friends, if I'm at all conflicted, then clearly I'm a terrible person. And if I voice any argument in support of the Israeli right to exist, I am labeled and shunned and at least on reddit, just completely banned from various subs. I even got a warning from Reddit for hate speech because I snarkily argued with a person who declared that the Jews are committing a holocaust. I was the one who got a good morning for hate speech and my comment taken down.

I am devastated and sad and exhausted. And I'm somewhere in the middle of all of this. I just cannot justify people telling my many Israeli friends that their very existence is evil because of where they were born and who they are. My Israeli friends, most of whom have served in the IDF, are brilliant, compassionate, loving and introspective people. To diminish them to nothing simply because of where they were born and the religion they practice makes me physically ill, not to mention terrified that condemnation of them is accepted with complete impunity.

But I am so glad that this space exists so that I know I'm not alone in my complete confusion and befuddlement. Thank you for being here. You are very important.

Hey folks! I posted on here a couple of weeks ago trying to organize a dungeons and dragons group for my son and kids anywhere from age 10 to age 16 in Skokie or Evanston.

The good news is we have procured a dungeon master, a place, and three kiddos! We are looking for one, possibly two or three more to make it fun! If anyone has a kiddo who might be interested in this, please DM me. I'm happy to FaceTime with you and give you all of the details, and additionally introduce you to everyone online beforehand. Of course safety and comfortability are an obvious priority.

The group is meeting Wednesday nights at 6:00. Thanks, and I hope to hear from you soon!

Hey all. I have posted in lots of places before asking questions about dungeons and dragons groups in the Skokie/Evanston and Northern Chicago area for tweens and teens. I'm really starting to get frustrated with the scarcity and super high demand and competitiveness of trying to find and get your kid into a group.

So...

I am proposing maybe starting a group ourselves. Admittedly, I'm not quite sure how to go about this. My two kids live in Evanston, and I was thinking if there was interest, people could DM me individually, or even post below if they are interested in starting a group with a campaign of our own. All of this said, I also have no idea how to be a dungeon master, so we would need a DM as well. I'm looking at a target age range of anywhere from 11 to 15, but I'm definitely flexible. If you are a DM or know someone who might be interested in helping us with that aspect, that would be awesome as well.

I'm just learning how to do this, so be patient. But I'm highly motivated because dungeons and dragons has been a life changer for my kids, who have thrived socially as a result. I believe it's important for their development, and I'm hoping to find like-minded individuals who are also motivated to create a group. Thank you guys for everything in advance!

No thanks. 15 is normally my limit on schnitzengruben.

Leave your favorite blazing saddles or Young Frankenstein quote below.

If you aren't down for an emotional human interest story, feel free to skip this!

I don't really have much in the way of substance to say. I just wanted to share the way Cardinal basketball has affected my life and shaped who I am.

My father was the gentlest of giants. Everyone he met was at first intimidated, and then charmed by the warmth the man conveyed. And he attended the University of Louisville for the final three years of his eligibility.

When my brother and I came around, we didn't stand a chance. All of our baby clothes were some variation of red, with some rudimentary stitching spelling out Cards or Cardinals. He sat us in our baby chairs in front of the TV whenever there was a game on. We heard his wails of agony and his cheers of triumph from the time we were infants.

As we grew, we learned more and more about the game of basketball. My dad coached a bunch of my Jewish Community Center biddy basketball teams growing up, always with a gentility and kindness and warmth that even for the time seemed out of place.

Eventually I went on to play high school basketball, much to his pride and joy. I wasn't that good, but he was the only dad who showed up consistently not just to games, but to any practice our coach would allow. At the time it embarrassed me. But now, it chokes me up.

My dad wasn't a man of many words. He grew up in a time and culture when it wasn't necessarily condoned to show too much emotion, especially when you are a giant man with a capacity for violence and the body of a linebacker in both high school and college (not at Louisville, unfortunately).

But he showed his love through Cardinal basketball.

My dad got season tickets from his best friend pretty much all through the 80s. His friend was also, in fact, the Cardinal bird for all four of his years at UofL! And once my dad got these tickets, my brother and I would nearly come to blows over who got to go with Dad to the games. At Freedom Hall we saw my father in his truest form. He was gentle, focused, and knowledgeable about the game. We also saw some saucier sides of him, as he would get pissed off at the players who were doing poorly, especially when we were losing to the Cats. He also taught us how to chant "Go Cards! Beat...Purdue!" (One for the old diehards!)

At those games we saw a man who had a deep love for his children and wanted them to succeed. He taught us at those games. He taught us about plays, how to get down on defense, how to always look at the chest, and not the ball, and how never to showboat on the court. And he taught us how to have tolerance, even when Kentucky fans were invading the arena.

I don't think I'm overstepping when I say that I think both my brother and I learned way more than logistics of a game that we all loved. We learned so much about who our father was, how to emulate his best qualities, and how to overcome our own emotions when they overflow. He taugh us how to fall in love with players like Herbert Crook, Milt Wagner, LaBradford Smith and Pervis Ellison. He taught us how to regulate, how to be good listeners and good teachers, and most of importantly, how to love.

My father was taken tragically in an auto accident in 2001. I miss him everyday. I have long since moved away from Louisville, and have been in Chicago for the last 25 years. I visit occasionally, but I no longer consider it my primary home. And I have two sons of my own. And I too have shared my love for the game and all of its principles and logistics. They have seen me go through the ups and downs of a rough game and a rough season. And they saw me with tears in my eyes in 2013 (for better or worse haha) as I cheered triumphantly and loudly and screamed my father's name when the final seconds ticked off the clock in the championship game.

Louisville basketball for me is love, and nobody can ever take it away from me. And I know my dad visits me. I've had too many extremely weird encounters with cardinals to believe it's more than just coincidence.

God bless the cards and I thank them for having given me all of my father. L1C4

I'm so excited! I'm taking my older son to his first tmbg show at Pabst Theater in Milwaukee on the 25th! I haven't seen the Johns in a decade and a half! I so remember my first show, so this is super special and just wanted to share! Be well everyone!

To me, this is one of my top five games of all time. And that includes across any platform. I can't remember a more moody game, both with incredible graphics and soundtrack. It put me in an unsettled mood, not unlike when watching a horror movie. And there were even a couple of jump scares.

But there was also a super comforting aspect to it, like with a lot of the NES games. When you put the cartridge in, pressed it down and hit power, you knew you were in for at least a couple of hours of escape, and thoughtful escape at that. The interface was super intuitive, and solving puzzles to get to a different area was so incredibly satisfying. I never cheated, though I thought about it hardcore. It was harder to cheat back in those days though. It also spawned a series of similar interface games, including uninvited, which was also epic. Anyone have the feels for this title like I do?

Edit: I had incredibly bad anxiety and mental health issues back in the time when those types of issues weren't taken seriously. This title in particular saved my ass a few times, so I may be a bit biased with regard to shadowgate. But I think that was part of the magic of that particular system, and I hope kids who are like me when I was their age have found something similar in whatever system they are playing

To me, this is one of my top five games of all time. And that includes across any platform. I can't remember a more moody game, both with incredible graphics and soundtrack. It put me in an unsettled mood, not unlike when watching a horror movie. And there were even a couple of jump scares.

But there was also a super comforting aspect to it, like with a lot of the NES games. When you put the cartridge in, pressed it down and hit power, you knew you were in for at least a couple of hours of escape, and thoughtful escape at that. The interface was super intuitive, and solving puzzles to get to a different area was so incredibly satisfying. I never cheated, though I thought about it hardcore. It was harder to cheat back in those days though. It also spawned a series of similar interface games, including uninvited, which was also epic. Anyone have the feels for this title like I do?

Edit: I had incredibly bad anxiety and mental health issues back in the time when those types of issues weren't taken seriously. This title in particular saved my ass a few times, so I may be a bit biased with regard to shadowgate. But I think that was part of the magic of that particular system, and I hope kids who are like me when I was their age have found something similar in whatever system they are playing

Hi folks! A buddy of mine is an actor and dungeon master, and we are starting a theatrical dungeons & dragons group and are in need of party members willing to ham it up and dialogue in character. We're looking at a time on Sunday evenings to meet, mostly for one shot campaigns, but with the potential of starting a longer campaign depending on personalities and the like. But we would also be flexible on the timing if necessary. Would anyone be interested in doing this near Evanston or the north side of chicago?

Hi all! A friend of mine is an actor and dungeon master, and we are looking for fairly serious D&D players, and specifically ones who enjoy witty banter amongst characters in an acting type of style and just generally hamming it up. If you are super serious and lack patience, this might not be for you. We would love to start a group, possibly on Sunday evenings, in the Rogers Park/Andersonville/Evanston area. But this isn't in stone and we would be willing to travel. Anyone looking for a group?

Hi all! I'm located in Chicago, and I am not a beekeeper. However, my son is about to have his bar mitzvah, and he has a bar mitzvah project that he is required to do. This is a service oriented project about something that you are passionate about. My little guy is super passionate about the environment and animals, and loves the idea of bees. He would love to learn more about them, and more specifically ways that he can get involved in helping raise awareness about bees and benefit to everyone.

Are there any beekeepers in or around the Chicago area who might be willing to help him? Does anyone know of specific things that he can do, in addition to fundraising and organizations, like getting his hands dirty specifically to help with the preservation of bees?

Please forgive my complete ignorance on the topic, and I'm fairly certain I've said a couple of dumb things about because I don't know any better. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide!

Hi folks. I'm not even sure if this post is appropriate for this sub, but in case it is, I'm an old guy who grew up during the golden age of Nintendo. I remember getting my NES in third grade, and never leaving my room for about a year and a half afterward.

I must have played every game in the catalog, but still the single greatest game I have ever played was bionic commando. The graphics, cutscenes and storyline or completely ahead of their time, and it was provocative in a Time when Pearl clutching was rampant. The game had Adolf Hitler in it, for crying out loud. And the grappling hook? You could make a day out of just swinging that thing and seeing where you could hook it to in mid-flight. Creative, and an absolute blast. If you've never played it, you're totally missing out. That is all.

I love supernatural lore from various regions and am currently fascinated by South American settings. Any recommendations for thrillers/mysteries with a supernatural, South American setting? I know this seems niche as hell, but thought I'd ask anyway! Thanks!

Growing up in the 70s and 80s in Louisville, I was an enormous NBA fan, thanks in part to Big Wes Unseld. I feel like Wes doesn't get a lot of fanfare and I find that a lot of the youngsters today don't know of his pedigree, despite him arguably being one of the best power forward/centers to ever play the game, even though he was undersized. The dude was mean as hell on the floor, and a tireless worker.

Wes was a close personal friend of my mother's, and they went to the same high school, Louisville Seneca. I remember him having to duck before coming through our front door. He was one of the nicest and most soft-spoken men I knew.

But damn that dude was vicious on the floor. His years at Louisville were legendary, as were many years of his NBA career with the Bullets/Capitols. When Wes passed, it was devastating for the Louisville community, as well as for my family.

Anyone ever get to see him play or interact with him, or remember him? I know my life was forever changed just by knowing him.

One of the most formative bands of my life is They Might Be Giants. I just scored three floor level center tickets to see them in Milwaukee with my kid. I mentioned to somebody's we were going, and one of them said "that's punk as fuck!"

I've heard folks call them punk before. Each time I'm conflicted. While they strike me as underdog non-conformists who are highly experimental and don't give a fuck about formulas, if I'm calling them punk as a genre of music, it doesn't work for me. Philosophically, I guess it fits. I've never been one for hard and fast labels, but I'm curious as to what you guys think. If someone asks you what kind of music they do, would you include punk as one of the genres or not?

Hi all. Just looking for advice on where I might find some sort of after school dungeons and dragons club or gathering anywhere in the area, the area being obviously Evanston, and even the entire northern half of Chicago or extending into the northern suburbs. With the rise and popularity, I thought there would be more opportunities available, but at least with my crude googling skills, I can't seem to find much. Anyone know of anything? Thank you so much in advance!