#and it takes like 15-20 minutes to transfer every single time. and I can't even play anything while I wait >:T

[katamarei]

I impulse purchased a 256gb microsd for my switch on a recent voyage to the nearest microcenter (3 hour drive) and I spent wayy too long thinking about it bc my current one is full and I couldn't remember how big it was and what if I gt one that's too small etc etc well now like 6 weeks later I've got around to pulling it out to check and it's fucking 64gb. and I'm just like. why did I buy one that's ONLY 64gb???? fucks sake

[ollieofthebeholder]

#how does this even work?#is this in a rural area where the busses don't connect and you have to go around?

Rural? Probably not. But honestly, unless you're in one of the major cities in the US - and I'm talking high-population, densely-laid out cities with robust public transit systems, which aren't nearly as common as you might think - this is pretty much par for the course.

I can get to work from my house in about an hour if I take public transit. There are actually three (well, four) possible routes. One only involves a single bus...but I have to walk three-quarters of a mile to the nearest bus stop where it picks up. The one that involves the shortest walk is still about a quarter of a mile, and okay, that's only like two blocks, not that big a deal, but the bus that picks up just misses the connection with the next leg of the journey, unless it's running a bit ahead of schedule - and that connection is a time point, so the drivers aren't allowed to be too terribly ahead of schedule - and the only saving grace of that connection is that it's with the light rail, which keeps a much stricter schedule than the busses, so it's only a 15-minute wait at that time of day for a 12-minute train ride...oh, but I still have to cross one of the major roads in the city and pray no driver blows through the intersection even though I have a crosswalk light. The third route is a half-mile walk followed by a 40-minute bus ride followed by a walk to the nearest light rail station - which is only like a four-minute walk, maybe two blocks, but requires crossing two streets because the platform is in the middle of the road and also the only place to cross to it is at the far end of the platform from the bus stop - followed by another 15-minute wait for an 18-minute train ride. (The fourth route is getting off that bus from the third route about halfway along the route and crossing three major roads to find a bus stop that services a second bus route, taking it to where it connects with the light rail, and then riding that for two stops to work.)

Oh, and while the light rail runs every 15 minutes during peak hours and every 30 minutes during non-peak hours, and that bus that I have to walk three-quarters of a mile to catch runs every half hour, the others only run once an hour, even on weekdays. And that one that runs every 30 minutes? The way it runs, it gets to the stop nearest where I work exactly on the :30 and the :00, so if I decide the walk is worth taking the most direct route - which is still 42 minutes under the best of circumstances - I have to take the bus that's scheduled to get me there at 7:30 in order to guarantee I'll be at work on time, which means I have to leave the house at around 6:30am, walk 3/4 of a mile, get on the bus, and - if all goes well - subsequently sit around in the break room at work for 20 minutes or so before I go to my desk and set up. The other routes get me to the office at 7:55am, and I can only guarantee that because they involve the light rail. For the shortest walk, I have to leave the house by 6:45; for the one that involves the half-mile walk, I still have to leave by 6:30am. And I'm extremely lucky in that there's a bus stop and a light rail stop literally right in front of the office where I work, so I can get off, cross the parking lot, and be to the building.

Now, I live with my mom, who works for the same company, so we carpool unless she has an early-morning appointment and can't drop me off on her way. If we hit the "sweet spot" with regards to traffic? Sixteen minutes, door to door.

And that's me being lucky. When my brother was going to the local community college and taking the bus, if he had class at one particular campus? A twenty-minute drive translated to an almost five-hour bus ride with three transfers.

So yeah, this is all too common if you're not lucky enough to live in a MAJOR city.

American moment

[thathomesteadlife]

Bread is happiness.

Soft pretzels or pretzel buns

Ingredients:

Dough:

4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

1 Tbs honey (or sugar)

1 3/4 tsp active dry yeast

4 Tbs avocado oil (can use unsalted butter)

For baking the pretzels or buns:

10 cups water

2/3 cup baking soda

1 large egg, whisked with a dash of water

Kosher salt for sprinkling

Instructions:

Add the water and honey into a bowl or measuring cup, let honey dissolve. Add yeast and let foam for a few minutes.

Add flour, salt, oil and yeast mixture into a large bowl and mix by hand until a ball starts to form.

Dump onto a floured surface and knead for 5 or so minutes adding a dusting of flour as needed until dough is soft but not sticky. (When the dough starts to feel warm and soft, you are almost there) Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap. Keep in a warm place until it has doubled in size, usually an hour or so. (My house is chilly this time of year, so I turn my oven onto warm until preheated, turn it off and place covered bowl in there to rise.)

Preheat oven to 450. Prep baking sheets with parchment paper.

Punch down dough and divide into 8-10 pieces. Roll each dough portion between your palm and the counter to form a ball. Place on parchment. If doing soft pretzels, roll out dough piece into a 19-21 inch rope, using your palms to roll and stretch to lengthy. Twist into pretzel shape, pinch the ends well to keep the shape. Let rise again for 20 minutes, on the counter is fine at this stage.

Meanwhile bring the water and baking soda to a boil in a large pot. Turn heat down to simmer so that no bubbles break the surface. Drop 2-3 buns/pretzels into the water, leaving for 30 seconds on each side. Remove and place back on parchment paper, brush with egg mixture and sprinkle with salt. If making buns, cut two shallow slits into the top of the bun after the egg and salt are done.

Bake buns for 13-15 minutes.

Bake pretzels for 8-10 minutes.

Mini pretzels or pretzel knots are also a fun option and will bake for 8-10 minutes as well.

Take out of oven and transfer to cooling rack. Enjoy once they cool enough to handle :)

This last week has been full of hard work, play, family, friends, hosting, traveling, shopping, chores, and on and on. This upcoming weekend is full of slaughtering our steers and butchering one of our pigs. I'm sure you can guess the idea behind next weeks post. I decided today to scrap a few chores in the name of baking some pretzel buns and pretzels for my family. Sometimes life is crazy, any more it feels like I say that every week. Crazy can be really, really good. It's not always a bad thing to be so busy and full of life that you're not even sure what day it is or how most the week vanished already. When life gets crazy, I try to do something nice, not just for the fam, but for me as well. I got in a run today and decided that making bread was a priority. I enjoy it, it's a newly discovered happy place for me. I can't always control how our week goes but I can make bread, and bread equals happiness....at least for me. Give these a try, I promise they are amazing and they aren't as hard as you may think. My family can burn through a single batch in one day, so I always double the batch (pictures are from a double batch). Have a fantastic Veteran's Day weekend and make sure you thank the veterans in your life. Maybe make them pretzels 😉