This is so terrific

I'm glad you reconnected with your dad and mom. That's a tough legacy.

I, too, often wished my family were drunks. They were just sober monsters tho

My point was that the books do indeed portray abuse and neglect, portray children being chronically unheard and mistreated and mistrusted, they are indeed dark. I think the darkness is prob very clear to the children who made the series so popular. Not every kid can put into words the experience of being cast out and hurt, but the books portray it as a norm and thus are super validating.

Plus, I am am adult and I say adults are stupid. I mean, we are really stupid. Right?!

If I were getting into a serious, dark discussion, I'd also mention that what is portrayed as adult stupidity is often actually systemic violence, unhealthy social hierarchies (like churches) and well meaning adults who are thwarted when they try to help vs adults, are merely stupid.

From a child's perspective, yes, I think "stupid" suffices as a good enough description. As an adult, I can see a larger system. Individual adults may not be responsible for their own powerlessness and inaction (they tried, after all), but the children are still harmed. No one does well in the books, and that's a pretty fair depiction of life as I know it. Adults are stupid, but it's not really their fault. Not an uplifting thought, but that's why I stopped reading the books. They're bleak.

"Adults are very stupid" - an adult

Seriously, any contested custody case proves the books are quite realistic. Yes, I couldn't finish them, either. Sure, they felt unrealistic.

Are they unrealistic? Maybe, but not in portraying adults as stupid and obtuse, utterly blind to abuse and malevolence. That part was entirely accurate.

I have a yellow one I use regularly!

Swell brand will keep your coffee actually hot all day.

In the morning, I make a pot of coffee, add cream & stuff, drink half then and pour the other half into my Swell to take to work. It's great, hot coffee exactly how I like it at 2 pm :)

Thanks - this is my suspicion, tbh. But it's just like the one my photojournalist cousin carried, so I had to get it, functional or not

I love my Swell bottles for smaller quantities - they keep coffee piping hot.

I've sacrificed a bit of coffee in such an attempt, but I could try harder.

Ofc, it's a 50 year old thermos, so I'm not too bummed. It doesn't leak, it keeps stuff hot long enough (since I guzzle coffee) and it does look good in the kitchen :)

I just recently bought a vintage Stanley Canon thermos. Unfortunately, it doesn't actually keep stuff hot for more than a couple of hrs.

How old is the one you got? Or is it new?

This scarecrow sounds like Talking Tina on steroids - daily ice cream clearly is the only responsible, healthy choice.

☠️