General chat thread

[R.A.G.]

Hm… I haven't quite settled on the where yet, playing it by ear for the moment. I really need to find help but finding the kind of help I need is a bit daunting.

The biggest thing today so far was that ridiculous traffic jam, the traffic plus my exhaustion have got me hiding at a rest area waiting for it to clear while I try to rest up. I don't think I've had a decent nights sleep since I lost my apartment. The lack of real privacy is killer.

The coolest thing I've seen driving thus far is a thing that probably happens often on certain bridges. I was going over a very flat bridge and the water below it was kind of uniformly choppy, the bridge was fairly clear of other traffic and it was around dawn.
Something in how I saw everything shifted, an optical illusion, and it looked like the water was parallel to the bridge, like the bridge itself was a solid part of the water and I was driving on the ocean.
It was pretty fucking cool.

Also lots of super expensive RVs on the road at all hours. Y'know, the kind that are nicer than the homes most people live in? Them.

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If you were in the bible belt I'd say you should hunt down a church, but with you heading north dunno which way for you to turn. If you were an alcoholic I'd say find the local AA chapter, but don't know if there's an equivalent without substance abuse. You probably have a clearer idea of what's around you than I do rn, just keep an eye out for people who can help, I guess.

I know you're stuck sleeping in a car or at motels, but you should probably take a day or two to just rest at a stop until you're not exhausted. Maybe get a cheap pair of earbuds from somewhere? Having white noise/music playing will help you shut out the world, even if it's not perfect. The kind with a flexible earbud, they get kinda gross over time as earwax cakes up, but they also don't hurt your ears if you fall asleep with them.

The bridge things sounds cool as fuck. I imagine it's even nicer near dawn/sunset with the light playing off the water. If you're awake and driving at one of those points hope you get a chance to see that while crossing a bridge.

RV thing is weird. Is it vacation season for rich people rn? Is there some kind of traveling commune of millionaires in RVs in the area? Did they go south for the winter?

 

[MadGreenSon]

If you were in the bible belt I'd say you should hunt down a church, but with you heading north dunno which way for you to turn. If you were an alcoholic I'd say find the local AA chapter, but don't know if there's an equivalent without substance abuse. You probably have a clearer idea of what's around you than I do rn, just keep an eye out for people who can help, I guess.

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It's really shocking how much some things would be streamlined if I was an alcoholic or into hard drugs.
I think the lack of that major problem added to my already existing problems makes up for it though.

I know you're stuck sleeping in a car or at motels

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Uggh. I would kill for one full day at a motel…

RV thing is weird. Is it vacation season for rich people rn? Is there some kind of traveling commune of millionaires in RVs in the area? Did they go south for the winter?

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No idea, but the damn things are everywhere I go. Massive, expensive, and luxurious. Huge envy.

Traveling commune of millionaires sounds like a great villain group for a chase focused horror story though.


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Contributions to my gas/mobile/insurance/food/motel needs welcome here

 

[R.A.G.]

It's really shocking how much some things would be streamlined if I was an alcoholic or into hard drugs.
I think the lack of that major problem added to my already existing problems makes up for it though.

Uggh. I would kill for one full day at a motel…

No idea, but the damn things are everywhere I go. Massive, expensive, and luxurious. Huge envy.

Traveling commune of millionaires sounds like a great villain group for a chase focused horror story though.

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It sounds cartoonish, but tbh you might be best off pretending to be an alcoholic and getting into AA.

It's not a motel, but find a local library? It at least gives you somewhere warm to stretch your legs, charge your phone, and maybe thumb through some books. If you're lucky they have somewhere private enough you can catch a nap for a while, maybe even sleep through the day.

The League of Motor-Millionaires, villains of a street-racing horror action film.

 

[MadGreenSon]

It sounds cartoonish, but tbh you might be best off pretending to be an alcoholic and getting into AA.

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The thought has occurred to me more than once.
Seems more than a little scummy though. I also don't want my life to be a Fight Club reference.

The League of Motor-Millionaires, villains of a street-racing horror action film.

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Something like that, yes. Depending on how the movie is done you could make them cannibals, into evil magic, or just thrill killers who use their money and influence to literally get away with murder. Like if The Purge was only for rich people.


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Contributions to my gas/mobile/insurance/food/motel needs welcome here

 

[R.A.G.]

The thought has occurred to me more than once.
Seems more than a little scummy though. I also don't want my life to be a Fight Club reference.

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Sometimes you've got to play the hand you're dealt. In your case that means being Edward Norton in Fight Club. Just don't become a terrorist or don't get caught

Something like that, yes. Depending on how the movie is done you could make them cannibals, into evil magic, or just thrill killers who use their money and influence to literally get away with murder. Like if The Purge was only for rich people.

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Isn't that sort of the plot of Squid Game?

 

[Scygnus]

It's too bad the YMCA isn't still a thing. Or the thing it was when the Village People sang about it, song's running through my head reading this.

 

[Rakdos92]

Glad to see you alive, madgreenson. I hope you find what you need.

 

[MadGreenSon]

Isn't that sort of the plot of Squid Game?

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I think so? Sorta?

Glad to see you alive, madgreenson. I hope you find what you need.

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Yeah, me too brother. I tell you what though, I have a new and bitter perspective on how much food waste goes on in America today. Hunger sure as hell can focus your attention on the basics of life. I don't think I'll ever take decent, regular meals for granted ever again no matter where I end up.

 

[R.A.G.]

Yeah, me too brother. I tell you what though, I have a new and bitter perspective on how much food waste goes on in America today. Hunger sure as hell can focus your attention on the basics of life. I don't think I'll ever take decent, regular meals for granted ever again no matter where I end up.

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Supermarket dumpsters are basically full of edible but unsold food. Companies avoid giving it away for reasons(?) but if you dodge the produce for stuff that's still sealed you're good. Issue is they're sometimes locked. Gas stations (to some extent) do much the same thing when they've got to shift stock and will often just hand off a box of whatever to local homeless.

But yeah, a lot of food seems to get tossed for the sake of profit margins or something. on top of general senseless waste.

 

[Guardian Box]

Supermarket dumpsters are basically full of edible but unsold food. Companies avoid giving it away for reasons(?)

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Liability concerns I imagine.

Even of the food is perfectly edible still, if it's beyond the expiration date even by a day the companies don't want to risk selling potentially unhealthy food and risk a lawsuit or a government agency taking notice, much better to just throw it all away.

 

[Longtimelurker]

Liability concerns I imagine.

Even of the food is perfectly edible still, if it's beyond the expiration date even by a day the companies don't want to risk selling potentially unhealthy food and risk a lawsuit or a government agency taking notice, much better to just throw it all away.

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Exactly so.
One of my "skeleton keys" for understanding American life is the ever-present fear of liability that undergirds everything. Even if you are ultimately vindicated by the courts, a large company may still need to spend millions to resolve a lawsuit in which they acted entirely benevolently.

 

[Guardian Box]

Exactly so.
One of my "skeleton keys" for understanding American life is the ever-present fear of liability that undergirds everything. Even if you are ultimately vindicated by the courts, a large company may still need to spend millions to resolve a lawsuit in which they acted entirely benevolently.

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We're also in the golden age of food availability as far as human history is concerned as well. In no other period in history has food been so abundant and cheap as it is right now, to the point that it's more economically viable for food producers to destroy vast quantities of food that may still be perfectly edible just to avoid a potential legal scuffle with some random person who had a tummy ache from eating a slice of cheese beyond its professed expiration date or something like that.

Still though, the amount of food wasted every year world-wide hurts my min-maxing soul to the core

 

[Amazon Climber]

Companies avoid giving it away for reasons(?)

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It's cheaper to throw it away than deal with the logistics necessary to give it away.

Liability concerns I imagine.

Even of the food is perfectly edible still, if it's beyond the expiration date even by a day the companies don't want to risk selling potentially unhealthy food and risk a lawsuit or a government agency taking notice, much better to just throw it all away.

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Problem is, there's a Good Samaritan food giveaway law that covers this.

 

[CanYouMeme]

It's cheaper to throw it away than deal with the logistics necessary to give it away.

Problem is, there's a Good Samaritan food giveaway law that covers this.

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From the USDA website;

"In order to receive protections under the act, a person or gleaner must donate in good faith apparently wholesome food or apparently fit grocery products to a non-profit organization for ultimate distribution to needy individuals or families. It does not cover direct donations to needy individuals or families."

So first off, anyone who cares to can sue on the basis it wasn't donated in good faith, or over whatever the hell "apparently" means (and I've heard some junk) which the defendant will then have to prove false. Even if it's tossed out, that's more man hours wasted, more money spent, more bad press, all of which contributes to the food distributor eventually getting shut down outright.

Then, all donated food must be funneled through someone else, which limits distribution because there are many more food distributors than government approved non profit locations.

This then further limits how much food can be given away because A) A government approved food charity has to follow more rules for who is and is not allowed to receive food, and B) A lot of the food that can be theoretically distributed isn't because with all the aforementioned food can't be legally pushed out fast enough.

And anybody who donates directly is fucked up creek without a paddle.

Source - I volunteer at a govt approved food charity, do you have any idea how much food goes straight up rotten because we can't legally distribute it fast enough? Hundreds of pounds per month, if we're lucky.

And that's just us, at one location.

Oh, and let me make it worse for you - we get fresh produce shipped in, stock overflow from farmers and such. A good chunk of that goes bad before it even reaches the distributor because legal restrictions combine with logistics to leave it sitting for weeks and months before we can open it up and get rid of it.

It's our "have fun with the newbies" ritual where one of the experienced crew sits them down for two, three, four hours scraping out the rotten vegetables from the good, then letting the "good" sit in good conditions for a day or so before checking them again to make sure they didn't get mouldy or whatever somewhere we didn't see the first time.

If we don't just toss the whole bag because the reek is strong enough to write it off.

So yeah nah, the law is responsible for destroying a fair bit of food before it can be given to the hungry, profit or no profit.

 

[MadGreenSon]

I had to stop driving and pull into a rest area (with 4 super luxury RVs parked) because I'm sick.
It's been getting worse since I stopped, I'm coughing my lungs out, achy, feverish, and getting a lot of scabs/blood clots in the mix when I blow my nose.

This is miseryville guys, I don't even have any aspirin.

Ugh. Pray for me, or perform the well wishing ritual of your choice for me, whichever.




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Contributions to my gas/mobile/insurance/food needs welcome here

 

[R.A.G.]

I had to stop driving and pull into a rest area (with 4 super luxury RVs parked) because I'm sick.
It's been getting worse since I stopped, I'm coughing my lungs out, achy, feverish, and getting a lot of scabs/blood clots in the mix when I blow my nose.

This is miseryville guys, I don't even have any aspirin.

Ugh. Pray for me, or perform the well wishing ritual of your choice for me, whichever.

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I've had much the same in my area, it's apparently(?) this year's strain of the flu. You've got to get off the road for a week or two, hunker down somewhere warm/find a hospital. Cough/flu medication massively helped, but I've spent the last week still recovering (my immune system is kinda shit though).

Find a gym? Buy a membership for a month. It gets you access to hot showers (which means jets of hot water drumming on the back/chest so you can cough out the worst of the phlegm every morning), and sometimes breakfast.

Again, you might need a hospital though.

 

[MadGreenSon]

Again, you might need a hospital though

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I might, but I don't know for sure where the hell I am.

In addition to some truly brutal coughing fits I think I'm going cross eyed, everything I look at has a slight doubling to it, so I'm not driving anywhere for the moment.

The RVs from before left, but some epic looking trailer pulled campers pulled by pickups pulled in and partially got set up so the travelers could relax in style.

The whole Mobile Millionaires Club theory seems to be gaining credence, or that may be the fever talking.


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Contributions to my medicine/gas/food needs welcome here

 

[R.A.G.]

I might, but I don't know for sure where the hell I am.

In addition to some truly brutal coughing fits I think I'm going cross eyed, everything I look at has a slight doubling to it, so I'm not driving anywhere for the moment.

The RVs from before left, but some epic looking trailer pulled campers pulled by pickups pulled in and partially got set up so the travelers could relax in style.

The whole Mobile Millionaires Club theory seems to be gaining credence, or that may be the fever talking.

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Bro, you've got to ask them to call you an ambulance or something. If they've got mega RVs they might even get you airlifted out, idk.

 

[BlackDragon98]

Can't wait to go walrus hunting if I'm gonna be honest.

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Wait a heck. What band (assuming you're a status Native) are you part of? I thought walrus hunting was only allowed in the Territories, not Ontario?

I might, but I don't know for sure where the hell I am.

In addition to some truly brutal coughing fits I think I'm going cross eyed, everything I look at has a slight doubling to it, so I'm not driving anywhere for the moment.

The RVs from before left, but some epic looking trailer pulled campers pulled by pickups pulled in and partially got set up so the travelers could relax in style.

The whole Mobile Millionaires Club theory seems to be gaining credence, or that may be the fever talking.


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Contributions to my medicine/gas/food needs welcome here

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I am glad to see you're still rolling mate, in spite of your illness. I shall add you to my prayers tonight.

As for the fancy RVs, they're probably RV glampers. Its become something of a trendy thing these days.

One word of advice: get a fishing license, a spool of 25lb fishing line (mono will do) and a simple tackle kit (hooks, sinkers, swivels). Then get a pretty strong stick and tie the fishing line to the tip and the middle of the stick. Find yourself some bait (worms, maggots, leeches, etc.) and toss it in your nearest river/creek/pond/lake/canal/ocean. I guarantee you'll get lunch and/or dinner. Its better than digging thru a dumpster (you don't know if there's already mold or whatever bacteria forming in the stuff and food poisoning might very well be fatal in your situation). You'll have to check your local regulations before fishing though.

 

[Arc-on-Fire]

Wait a heck. What band (assuming you're a status Native) are you part of? I thought walrus hunting was only allowed in the Territories, not Ontario?

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I'm not too sure on the fine legal details, but we can generally hunt walrus. I won't say what my band name is, considering it's so regionally specific that I'd essentially be doxxing myself, but I am Swampy Cree if you're still curious. It's a long story for the walrus hunting on our part, best way I can compress it is my tribe's hunting grounds can sometimes extend north into the Hudson Bay, so far north that we can encounter Inuit (and the mentioned walrus.)

 

[CanYouMeme]

I might, but I don't know for sure where the hell I am.

In addition to some truly brutal coughing fits I think I'm going cross eyed, everything I look at has a slight doubling to it, so I'm not driving anywhere for the moment.

The RVs from before left, but some epic looking trailer pulled campers pulled by pickups pulled in and partially got set up so the travelers could relax in style.

The whole Mobile Millionaires Club theory seems to be gaining credence, or that may be the fever talking.


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Contributions to my medicine/gas/food needs welcome here

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If your phone is on, it should have GPS functionality.

Call 911 or whatever your local emergency number is, tell them to track your phone, tell them you're poor and lost with a fever, have them tell you where the nearest hospital/clinic/whatever is, and either drive there yourself if you think you can or ask for them to send you a lyft or uber or something.

I'd tell you to ask for a straight ambulance, but I don't know where you are and what the terrain looks like.

EDIT: actually, if your fever is that bad, don't drive. Just ask for a pickup.

 

[BlackDragon98]

I'm not too sure on the fine legal details, but we can generally hunt walrus. I won't say what my band name is, considering it's so regionally specific that I'd essentially be doxxing myself, but I am Swampy Cree if you're still curious. It's a long story for the walrus hunting on our part, best way I can compress it is my tribe's hunting grounds can sometimes extend north into the Hudson Bay, so far north that we can encounter Inuit (and the mentioned walrus.)

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Oops, I meant to say tribe but my brain defaulted to band while I was typing the status part. I went to high school in a small town (father was in the military) and there was a rez (Mohawks) nearby. All the rez kids went to my high school and I became friends with some of them. Learned how crap of a deal you Natives got (and are still getting) from the gov and your own chiefs.

Curious, I didn't know that le walrus came that far south. I thought they went only as far as Churchill, Manitoba since there are polar bears there and predators follow the prey.

What does walrus meat taste like?

And how do you have trout in the Hudson/James Bay area? AFAIK there's no rainbows, or browns. Might the trout actually be Arctic char?

 

[MadGreenSon]

One word of advice: get a fishing license,

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Bro, I can't even afford a full tank of gas, how can I get all that?


In other news, I just coughed up an amazing amount of phlegm after waking up to someone staring at me through my car's window. Goddamn do I miss privacy.




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Contributions to my medicine/gas/food needs welcome here

 

[Scygnus]

In other news, I just coughed up an amazing amount of phlegm after waking up to someone staring at me through my car's window.

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Tell him you're auditioning for the role of the Dilophosaurus in a Jurassic Park remake and ask if he'll play the part of Dennis Nedry.

(Hope this at least gives you a giggle.)

 

[Arc-on-Fire]

Curious, I didn't know that le walrus came that far south. I thought they went only as far as Churchill, Manitoba since there are polar bears there and predators follow the prey.

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Most walruses can get as big as a polar bear. While walruses seem like an easy meal to younger polar bears, most older ones don't bother with em from what I've heard. Yeah... those tusks can kill and their fat blubber acts like a natural armor which makes polar bears sometimes struggle with biting into them.

What does walrus meat taste like?

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From the few times I've had it over the past years: a leaner, gamey veal/beef with hints of fishiness.

Actually exquisite if you slow roast it with a dutch oven.

And how do you have trout in the Hudson/James Bay area? AFAIK there's no rainbows, or browns. Might the trout actually be Arctic char?

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We have trout. And they get record size big too. There's pike - actually there's a lake that's famous in my tribe for producing crazy huge pike, like several feet long at least.

And the sturgeon? God, don't even get me started on them.

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Bro, I can't even afford a full tank of gas, how can I get all that?


In other news, I just coughed up an amazing amount of phlegm after waking up to someone staring at me through my car's window. Goddamn do I miss privacy.




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Contributions to my medicine/gas/food needs welcome here

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If you can afford it... garlic & onions, honey + ibuprofen. Should help you out if you try out a dollar store or budget friendly equivalent.

 

[MadGreenSon]

If you can afford it... garlic & onions, honey + ibuprofen. Should help you out if you try out a dollar store or budget friendly equivalent.

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That's actually pretty similar to remedies I've used in the past.

Also, I kinda seriously want to go to your house the next time you slow roast some walrus because that sounds really good

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Contributions to my medicine/gas/food needs welcome here

 

[BlackDragon98]

Bro, I can't even afford a full tank of gas, how can I get all that?


In other news, I just coughed up an amazing amount of phlegm after waking up to someone staring at me through my car's window. Goddamn do I miss privacy.




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Contributions to my medicine/gas/food needs welcome here

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Hmmmm . . . Have you tried looking at this site (assuming you're still in Florida)?
You worked, you paid taxes, now its time to get your tax return.

Most walruses can get as big as a polar bear. While walruses seem like an easy meal to younger polar bears, most older ones don't bother with em from what I've heard. Yeah... those tusks can kill and their fat blubber acts like a natural armor which makes polar bears sometimes struggle with biting into them.

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Interesting.

From the few times I've had it over the past years: a leaner, gamey veal/beef with hints of fishiness.
Actually exquisite if you slow roast it with a dutch oven.

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Alright, I'm putting walrus meat on my bucket list now.

We have trout. And they get record size big too. There's pike - actually there's a lake that's famous in my tribe for producing crazy huge pike, like several feet long at least.

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What species of trout?

Do you eat the pike? I've had them and they're fairly bony so I prefer walleye or rainbows instead.

And the sturgeon? God, don't even get me started on them.

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Aren't sturgeon strictly catch and release because they're endangered?

 

[MadGreenSon]

Alright, I'm putting walrus meat on my bucket list now.

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You ain't kidding.


Anyone want to hear some heartwarming shit? Check this out;

There I was kinda slumped at a picnic table getting some air and nursing my cough while messing with my phone and one of the people who were picnicking on the other side of the rest area comes over with a sturdy paper plate heaving with food and says"You look like you're having a rough time of it, this'll make you feel better, guaranteed,"

The plate was loaded with boneless pork chops, mashed potatoes, Mac and cheese, and turnip greens.
Y'know what? I was both touched and I do feel better.

If anyone tells you I cried a bit into my plate of soul food from the kindness of the act… they're right, it was also fucking delicious.

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Contributions to my medicine/gas/food needs welcome here

 

[Scygnus]

Maybe someone can help me solve this problem, because it's driving me insane.

So I have a list of 192 items, named and numbered, from 1 to 204. 116-120 and 123-130 are missing, should be 12 missing in total, giving 192.

I have these items divided into groups of 16, which 192 perfectly divides into 12 groups. All in order. The first and last number of each group is correct.

The problem: I just found 116 in the group it should be in, the one with all the gaps... Which means another one should be missing, since the division is perfect. Since 193 doesn't divide into 16.

But the rest of the numbers all line up still. All the groups have the correct amount, the right start and end numbers, and all the items, both on the list and actual, definitely exist.

The only thing I haven't done is go through each individual item in each individual group, but the start and end numbers should be different if that's wrong - I'll do that in a bit but I don't expect it to work.

Anyone have a clue where my missing item went? There's no 0 item, before you ask.

 

[Hyp3rB14d3]

Maybe someone can help me solve this problem, because it's driving me insane.

So I have a list of 192 items, named and numbered, from 1 to 204. 116-120 and 123-130 are missing, should be 12 missing in total, giving 192.

I have these items divided into groups of 16, which 192 perfectly divides into 12 groups. All in order. The first and last number of each group is correct.

The problem: I just found 116 in the group it should be in, the one with all the gaps... Which means another one should be missing, since the division is perfect. Since 193 doesn't divide into 16.

But the rest of the numbers all line up still. All the groups have the correct amount, the right start and end numbers, and all the items, both on the list and actual, definitely exist.

The only thing I haven't done is go through each individual item in each individual group, but the start and end numbers should be different if that's wrong - I'll do that in a bit but I don't expect it to work.

Anyone have a clue where my missing item went? There's no 0 item, before you ask.

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Sounds like a case of "sibling borrowed something and put it back in the wrong spot" to me. Possibly multiple somethings.