u/True_Pirate

I first read the series in 1990. I was 12. I was at Waldenbooks and the cover of Pawn of Prophecy just stood out at me and I had enough money to get it and Queen of Sorcery.

I know this was late summer but for some reason it was some months later before I got to actually read them. I remember that I was staying at my grandparents house during winter break from school and it was miserably freezing weather and I had absolutely nothing to do.

They had this godawful ugly orange wingback chair near a heater that was out of the way and for a few days I was completely transfixed. I burned through both books and desperately wanted the others. We were about an hour from the bookstore and there was no way they would make a special trip just to take me there.

But a few days later they decided to go for other reasons and I talked them into getting me the rest of the series. I remember reading the whole series in that ugly orange wingback chair huddled near the heater as it snowed outside. I remember feeling content and so happy that I could read as much as I wanted with no chores or schoolwork to eat up my time.

Over the next few months I managed to get books 1-4 of the Mallorean. I remember I had to wait for Seeress of Kell because it wasn’t out yet. Over the years I eventually read the Elenium and Tamuli. I enjoyed them but they didn’t have the same magic to me.

Regardless, this series I’ve probably read 3 or 4 times since. I’ve certainly read more challenging and sophisticated series over the years. My tastes largely shifted from fantasy series toward other genres and nonfiction.

And yet…..

Every 10 years or so, usually at a time of depression or high stress, I bring out my well worn paperbacks. It’s almost like comfort food for me. I last read them in 2023, after my father passed. It was a terrible time for me. My career was not in a good place, my personal life was not much better, and I had just finished watching my father decline from a long illness and waste away.

I don’t know if it’s nostalgia or what, but reading the series really helped me this last time. It was like, when I was reading them, it was literally the only time in my whole day, I could relax and just enjoy something.

I know this series is not particularly challenging to the reader but, every so often, that’s exactly what you need. Just some pure joyous escapism. That’s what the series is to me.

Is this what the series is like for you?

Is there a different book or series that is your “comfort food” ?

I had a terrible experience at a Sonic a week or so ago. I filled out a feedback form that was negative.

Anyway, I get a call from a personal cellphone today, with godawful reception, saying they wanted to talk to me about it.

The problem. I don’t know if it’s actually Sonic or someone who got my info from their system. I didn’t recognize the name on the caller ID as someone I should know, they didn’t give their personal name, just said it was Sonic. I just said I won’t be back and hung up. I couldn’t hardly hear them anyway.

I don’t really care, I plan never to return anyway. My local Sonic went from being pretty decent to pretty awful and since it’s on my commute, I have returned after some negative experiences. I never filled out a feedback though. I usually don’t care enough to do that, but I did on impulse this time.

My question is this, now this person who I don’t know has my phone number and name in their personal phone. Isn’t that kind of messed up? Even if it was a Sonic employee and not some scammer from a data breach, it’s just annoying. Is Sonic really too cheap to have a dedicated landline and this be handled more professionally?

What do you guys think?

I am a 48 yr old guy who woke up on 7-3-26 at 5’8” and 235 pounds and I essentially said that’s enough of that.

I started going for 10000 steps a day and making sure to spend some time at cardio every morning. Usually a brisk walk. I was and am really out of shape. I cut out junk food and been eating lean meat, vegetables (trying to avoid the cyclospora), and fruit.

As of today, about 5 weeks later, I am at 220. So I lost 15 pounds and while my weight loss has been wildly uneven, the average has been about 3 pounds a week so far.

My target is to get to around 180 then assess where I should try to land.

I am very motivated, but I am nervous about losing it fast and wondering if loose skin is something I should worry about. Should I try to lose slower?

I am going to say something, I think most will disagree with. I think Star Trek Discovery is a better show than Strange New Worlds.

Don’t get me wrong, Discovery was hot garbage, but the creators were trying to make a sci fi show. They kept trying to figure out the right formula and the show was improving a bit in its last few seasons. It still sucked but they were trying.

Compare that to Strange New Worlds and their genre hopping post modern self aware cringe comedy bullshit.

It’s such a shame. SNW has a really good cast (for the most part) seemingly all the money in the world for effects, and such a huge opportunity for storytelling, and week after week they squander it with vapid trash instead.

These people have nothing to say and no stories to tell.

Discovery was grimdark incompetently written Star Trek but it didn’t seem the writers were ashamed they were making Trek. I am convinced the SNW writers have absolutely zero interest in making science fiction but this is the job they landed, so they put a Star Trek skin over the wannabe teen drama sitcom garbage they are writing instead.

So yeah, I respect Discovery as a show more than Strange New Worlds.

Having said that, I am glad that all the modern shows are cancelled. We need a completely different creative direction moving forward.

[removed]

Is there any strategy to get AT&T to qualify an address to get Air service? I am still on 1.5mbps broadband and it goes out constantly. I have no other options in my area. No Fiber, no other cellular company will hook me up. The crazy part is directly across the street, my neighbor has ATT Air. It’s so close I can detect their wireless service at my house.

I need service. Even slow service is fine but ATT just won’t hook me up and the broadband is being phased out anyway.

Combine high prices with a general decline in quality and I have sort of stopped eating fast food without really trying to.

It’s just been a slow decline as my budget got tighter and had more negative experiences, I have went from maybe 3-5 times a week five years ago (usually at work for lunch) down to once every other week or so.

Genuinely curious if I am an outlier or if others are doing the same.

How much longer must we suffer? It’s been months of this guy embarrassing himself in these godawful commercials. I wonder if Walmart had added another zero to the check if he would bark like a seal for them.

Nothing against the guy but he is in so many annoying ads right now. The Walmart ads are the worst IMO.