u/RedditHope777

I'm looking for advice on getting a top quality cowboy hat that will last me for life. I have a high budget but I don't want to look like someone with money. So I'm looking for the best quality functional hat. Something that can stand up well to the elements, dirt and a lot of use.

All my previous hats were used, and never fit quite right, but this Texas sun is another kind of sun and I'm ready to finally get something quality.

Edit: Thankyou everyone for your advice, it's been incredibly helpful. I've decided to try and get a 100% beaver felt Chaz Mitchell for my premium hat. The Akubra's seem so good for the price that I decided to get second hat too. I'll probably keep my eyes out for a deal on an American Hat Company hat also. Thanks again to everyone.

I trusted my last partner completely, and she ended up costing me about three quarters of my net worth. The worst part is she didn't show even the tiniest bit of remorse or caring. It was like it meant absolutely nothing to her.

I went through an incredible amount to get financial freedom. From cleaning hotel toilets, to working 18 hour days 7 days a week and sleeping in my car. I even slept on park benches in NYC while working 12 hour days at a financial firm. I sorted chemicals waste, cleaned animal manure, and worse. Whatever it took.

Fortunately, I earned enough, that I'm still fine financially. But I can't see myself ever trusting someone else with my finances again. I'm genuinely terrified of marriage, for this single reason.

How do I express to a woman that I am serious about finding a life-partner, and someone to have a family with, but that I still need us to have some financial independence from each other? How can I reassure her that this in no way makes me less serious about commitment or finding a life time partner?

The last time I asked someone out in person was over 3 years ago. I've been incredibly busy but now I have more free time and feel ready to date. I did date a woman seriously during those three years but we originally met online, and I don't want to do that again.

I want to meet a woman in person, somewhere we have a chance to get to know each other a bit first. Not a bar, or someplace people might just want to hook up. I want a genuine connection that isn't rushed.

I'm definitely not most woman's type and I also have very specific type of personality I'm looking for. So I need someplace where I have decent odds of meeting a woman who is genuinely interested in me and likes me the way I am. I'm a bit burly. Tall, strong, beard and a bit of a belly. Think Hugh Hammer from House of the Dragon.

I'm always willing to compromise in a relationship, but I'm not willing to change the foundations of who I am, nor do I want to change my partner. I want a relationship where we both appreciate and like each other the way we are. I'm happy to be friends first because I think that can be a great foundation to a relationship. There is no rush, I just want to find my person.

Where would you go if you were looking to meet a man for a genuine connection? Where would you recommend I go?

***contains show and book spoilers***

Many aspects of the House of the Dragon world draw parallels to actual human history. It's intended to be a more realistic style fantasy and yet all the realism is completely thrown out the window with the treatment of Ulf and Hugh Hammer, in the show.

One of the most basic rules of leadership, throughout world history, has been the importance of keeping your armies happy so they don't desert or turn on you. Anyone raised for leadership would understand this. Not doing so would be like not knowing that 1+1 = 2 today. Most of us today aren't raised to be royalty, so it might not be obvious that this was an unescapable part of the education of anyone who was. It was the simplest and most fundamental of rules.

Daemon and Rhaenyra were both educated in leadership. The idea they both would completely fail to see the danger in treating two dragon riders badly, is ridiculous. If they were mad, or incredibly unintelligent, it might be believable. But they are neither. They would both understand the importance of keeping Ulf and Hugh's loyalty. But, in the show, they don't even try. It would be far more believable if they tried, but simply couldn't relate to Ulf and Hugh's vastly different background. Instead, they seem to not even care. To me this is lazy writing because it's easier to write than the complexities of a situation where they try their best to keep Ulf and Hugh happy, but misunderstandings lead to a rift anyway. That requires far more effort to write. Daemon knocking Ulf into the mud is ridiculous.

In case you haven't heard, Trump is actually proposing Tariff's on the bad air from Canada.

The obvious next step, is a wall. To keep the brown air out of America. He will make the brown air pay for the greatest wall ever built. A wall that will keep America for the the purist, whitest air.

According to Trump "We don't want the brown air here, only the whitest air. This is a country built on white air. By building the greatest wall ever, we will keep the brown air out, and keep America for white air only."

***Warning Spoilers for The Last of US below***

It occurred to me that for much human history it has been standard to send boys as young as 12 to war, in times of extreme desperation. They were expected to die, if necessary, for their community. While the standard age is 18+ now, it's still considered normal in modern morality, to force men to go and die to protect their country. This has happened in Ukraine where hundreds of thousands of men between 25-60 have been forced to die in the war, while not a single woman has been forced to.

So my thought is, how would we view The Last of US differently if Ellie was a boy? Imagine the same dilemma, the death of a 14 year old boy vs a cure for the virus. Even without him conscious to consent, are we having the same debate? Is anyone objecting to his sacrifice? If not, what does this say about the way we perceive gender, even in 2026?

Would love to hear your thoughts.