Connor Peterson, Writer of Stuff

Google universities/colleges near you.

If you can't get out to more than one, look up which one has the highest tuition.

Look-up when the graduation date is

Drive neighborhoods near the university the week before graduation

So much stuff gets left out on the curb. Wealthy college students tend to prioritize convenience over money, so instead of carefully reselling their perfectly good stuff, they frequently give it away or put it out with the trash because that's easier than moving, reselling, or donating. Take advantage of this.

I furnished pretty much my entire apartment from college giveaways and yardsales.

What I got for free:

Mattress and box springs

2 10 ft area rugs

The massive 9-drawer chest (that has a label on the back that it was custom-made and shipped across the country) that my TV sits on.

Two 13 x 2 ft raised garden beds

My desk - just sanded it down and refinished it.

Three short stools

An organizer rack

Watering can

Tommy Bahama outdoor cooler (retails for $350)

Chairs

Shelves

What I got for cheap:

Two futons for $50

Custom coffee table with storage for $25

I was also raised in a cult, and the thought of ever being manipulated like that again is genuinely terrifying. More terrifying than death.

We used to laugh and joke and quote the ‘Friends’ line of “because if it’s on the internet it’s true because the internet is never. Ever. Wrong.” Well…guess what. Apparently now it’s not, as far as she’s concerned. This woman is going to be 68 years old in December and has seemingly lost the ability to think critically. Because a youtube prophet told her such and such a thing. Or she watched a youtube video of tiktok compilations about how horrible the government is and they’re trying to buy up all the farmland in North Dakota.

She stopped eating at McDonalds because someone on youtube claimed to have proof that McDs used HUMAN MEAT in their burgers. Even after I found solid, reliable sources (good enough to use as sources in a college research paper, type reliable sources) stating this was false, it was a rumor started YEARS ago…nope. She refuses to eat at McDs because she believes a random youtuber over her own child.

No joke, Youtube has become a SERIOUSLY dangerous place. An armchair politician can spew their conspiracy theories to MILLIONS of people now and for some reason the older generations are just blindly believing it all. I have only been half joking when I tell my dad and my partner in crime that I think she’s either gone off the deep end, joined a cult, or both.

Viewers who 1, have already lost their favorite shows because they were cancelled in spite of good ratings and good reviews or 2, have stopped watching new content entirely until the entire series has aired and concluded as a result of so many good shows getting cancelled on cliffhangers and thus leaving said viewers unable to gain closure with those characters and with a hollow viewing experience, so they've begun a, watching older shows they know came to a planned conclusion or b, revisiting their old favorites and enjoying the nostalgia or c, reading new books or fanfic instead: YOU ALREADY CAN'T GUARANTEE THE FUTURE OF OUR SHOWS SO GET FUCKING WRECKED AND PAY WRITERS WHAT THEY DESERVE!

When we moved to Oregon in 2019, we always planned eventually to move back "home" to Pennsylvania, the state where, before that, I'd spent all but a year of my life since we moved there in '88.

Today, I'm going to have a conversation with my partners. I think we just have to assume I -- we -- can't go home.

Maybe ever.

Pennsylvania itself is in a low-risk category within two years, but it could easily -- well I know it -- swing into red if the next election cycle breaks another way.

That's not the kind of place where you buy the house that you intend them to "take you out of toes first," as I joked with my wives when we last talked about our plans.

That's what these laws mean to people like me. They mean "the state you consider home might become actively hostile to you within the next 5 years, so you can't plan to buy a home there." They mean "you shouldn't even board a plane that has a likelihood of having a layover in Florida, and you're definitely not going to repeat your 2019 drive across the country, one of the best and worst experiences of your life and the most time you've gotten to spend with your brother in one week since you graduated from high school." They mean half the states in this country are actively hostile to you, legally speaking, in a way you thought was finally behind you.

Sometime soon, I'm going to call my mother and tell her that we're not planning on moving back.

Corgi swim

It would be a shame if the number and email were spread to bad actors looking to prank call the AZ Department of Education

602-771-3500 or empower @ azed .gov 🤡