That’s one thing Reddit doesn’t somehow grasp: They outsourced their brand experience a long time ago when they were late to building an app of their own. To me and many others, reddit definitely is reddit is fun. There’s no putting that genie back in the bottle.

I definitely miss Jerboa. But the past month has already brought so much chaos to my internet use. What’s a little more?

That’s true. July is definitely better where I am, but the blueberry festivals are starting this weekend.

Blueberries fresh off the bush. Tis the season.

Don’t say, “I can’t wait.” It’s OK to be excited for something but not to wish away all the moments between then and now. Each one is precious.

I picked that up a few years ago from a Buddhist book. It helped me with so many aspects of life.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It’s good to hear there wasn’t a lot going on because, honestly, coming here from Reddit feels a bit like participating in some sort of digital gentrification.

OP could get constipated by doing a bunch of opioids. Obviously not recommended.

You’re right. The fediverse is definitely in a better position to ward off the suck.

By now, we’ve all been around the internet long enough to know that good things never last. That’s really life: Everything’s impermanent. Lemmy will probably suck someday, as will much of the fediverse. But I’m grateful it’s good right now and for the foreseeable future.

I feel you completely. I spend most of my free time with my family, hiking or paddling, or reading books. It’s nice to have places online to burn some time, but I’d sooner give it up than be forced into some corporate playground. The past 15-20 years have shown that it just doesn’t work.

Awesome! This has been puzzling me. Thanks!

It’s a beautiful day to be mindful, present, and grateful. IWNDWYT.

That sounds like an excellent day! Enjoy! IWNDWYT.

I also intensified existing hobbies.

Hiking went from a vacation or quarterly activity to several times per week. (Less now because of fatherhood.)

I returned to music and really doubled down on reading.

I picked up a couple of new hobbies: kayaking and spin bike.

And I started a business that’s been doing well for a few years and became a dad.

None of it would have happened without sobriety.

Damn. You described it so well.

Fridays in autumn, right at the time the setting sun is lighting up the night sky, is such a trigger for me. This time of year, it’s more like Fridays around 3, when the sun is shining and the trees are super green and robust. Idk – there’s something about the time and scenery associated with the pre-drinking routine that’s difficult.

But I’m starting to feel really settled into sobriety. It only took six years of stumbling!

Wrote some songs with my sober friends yesterday afternoon and evening. Then came home and hung out with my wife while our baby slept peacefully upstairs.

That’s a way better Friday than I ever had in the drinking days.

Welcome! I’m super stoked to be here, too. And each day this community seems to grow stronger.

I agree that reddit’s future looks weak. The API change was horrible. Spez’s approach to the whole thing was even worse: condescending, disingenuous, and hostile.

And the more I think about it, the less I see any hope for reddit as a place I want to spend time. This isn’t just one bad episode. Once the company goes public, there’s going to be more shit like this. The site will slowly gut itself for perceived short-term gains, over and over again.

No thanks.

New England is so cool! I’ve spent brief bursts of time there, mostly in urban areas, over the years, but didn’t start hiking up your way until last year. Fell in love with the White Mountains last September and heading back in a couple of weeks. Also spent a few days hiking Acadia this spring. You guys have such an amazing place up there!

Wow – I had no idea there were two sundews in the pines. I totally agree with you: This is exactly what I used to get from Reddit. So thank you. And I love a good bladderwort! I saw a bunch when I was canoeing with my wife and daughter last weekend.

So cool that you’re gonna make the trip here. If you want to know about any cool spots to visit, I’m happy to share!

Off the top of my head, there’s an easily accessible bog with a boardwalk called Webb’s Mill (Google Maps has it by name – it’s in Forked River). I’ve seen a ton of pitcher plants and sundews there. Sometimes the entrance is flooded out because of a beaver dam.

Wharton State Forest has the Mullica and Batsto rivers, along with a bunch of wetlands. If you wanna take kayaks or canoes down them, Pinelands Adventures runs trips through mid-October.

Going off the beaten path is easy in the Pines, too. I have some bushwhacking spots that I love and am happy to share privately. The only problem is, I typically go when no carnivorous plants are out because the ticks and chiggers are brutal off trail this time of year.

Ah sorry for the novel. I grew up in what once was pine barrens but escaped the political designation and thus got super overdeveloped. And the culture escaped us, too – almost no one I know has spent much time in the Pines, even though we’re 20 minutes away. So I get excited when I meet a fellow traveler!

Amazing! I spent some time in Silverton in summer 2021. Everything about the area blew me away. Incredible to hike and just exist there.

Haha! Makes total sense. I appreciate your precision.

My knowledge of plants is mostly limited to stuff in the New Jersey Pine Barrens because I hike and paddle there often and read about it just as much. So when I think of a sundew, I’m thinking of the one I know that lives there.

(The Pines also has a cactus – the prickly pear – but now I’m questioning whether it’s actually a cactus!)

Thanks so much. Next time I come across a cool plant that I can’t identify, I’ll post and tag you.

Love that. It must’ve been extra cool because you were young.