Nice to meet you

I am a 76 year old woman. Retired from an administrative position in HIV/AIDS division of San Francisco General Hospital. Previous to that, many years computer programming, testing, release management, and technical writing. Mother of one - a wonderful daughter who is old enough and emotionally together enough that I believe my mothering job is over. Vaccinated and double boosted and still very worried about catching this ever changing scourge! On the other hand, don't want to spend the remainder of my life locked up in my abode wearing pajamas. So, it is a dilemma.

Still legally married to a man who finally allowed himself to realize that he was gay only after his parents had both died, and by then we had been married over 35 years. Financial considerations and many years of therapy have allowed us to live separately and date freely and still remain legally married. Marriage is just a social construct, after all. When the pandemic hit, we both stopped dating (since neither of us had a permanent romantic/sexual partner, and breathing random people's air had become potentially deadly). We were already living next door to each other, and we became even better friends during the pandemic. We probably saved each other's sanity (such as it is).

SAV provides a place for me to put my incredible anger at people who think nothing about putting other people's lives in jeopardy! Also, to meet all you other lovely people.

Okay, I'll add here. Some of this I've posted elsewhere, but not in one long comment.

My mother and father were both in the Navy when I was born (at the time she was bounced out due to Navy rules). As a Navy brat, we moved around a lot.

I started school in an all-white segregated school in Maryland, but my mother wanted no part of that little bit of racism, so she moved my sister and me to Michigan. I attended a one-room school until I finished second grade. While I was in second grade, my father was killed in the Vietnam War. We had no friends other than my five cousins who lived a mile away.

After that, my sister and I lived with my maternal grandparents while my mother went to college at the University of Michigan to earn a degree in clinical psychology. Afterwards, more moving around.

I became an exchange student to Brazil in my junior year. There was no money to send me, but my mother lucked out and won the Michigan Lottery.

At eighteen I went into the US Navy as an aviation electronics technician. Got out after six, got married, went back in.

I was medically discharged after nearly seventeen years when I developed epilepsy. My wife divorced me on the grounds of demon possession, the court banned me from seeing my son due to atheism, and I was left homeless.

That state of affairs changed when my current wife married me eleven years later (she did something about veterans homelessness).

I picked up a not-well paying job (bodice-ripper Romance editor), then we moved to where we live now.

I ran for my village board (city council) to fill a vacated seat in 2012 and won. I was reëlected in 2014, but lost in 2018 by three votes when I was outed as an atheist. I am now running to regain my seat in the November election.

We like to travel, so in the time we've been married, we've made trips to Florida, Arkansas, Texas, Massachusetts, California, and Alaska by car (the trusty Smart). We've also travelled to Germany and Poland. We're planning a road trip for late summer to Canada's Maritime Provinces. (If you see a black Smart on the road with Nebraska Gold Star Family plates, that's us.)

37 mother from New Zealand. I am a SAHM to my 8 year old daughter who has autism. I also suffer from chronic migraines, asthma, and hayfever, so unvaxxed idiots who believe their 'freedoms' are more important that my health REALLY piss me off.

When I'm not reading online about antivaxx stupidity (or riling them up for funsies on FB or Reddit), I pretend to write trashy romance novels, play games on my PC or Nintendo Switch (you can pry my Pokemon fandom out of my cold dead hands), or hiding in my bedroom with the blackout curtains drawn and an ice-pack over my eyes. Nice to be here with you all!

Melania bad. Thought forum vas nice to meat. Melania so dumb sometimes.

Hello everyone, my name's Delusional (Hi Delusional!), and I'm an SAV addict.

I was born in the wagon of a travelin' show, my mama would dance for the money they'd throw. Papa would do whatever he could, preach a little gospel, sell a couple bottles of Ivermectin.

Retired 2020 from a State job that I really enjoyed, wife retired couple years before. She sings in a band, just now picking up a few more gigs, after maybe only a half dozen since Covid hit. We have a farmers market business for last 12 years, it's wonderful, making friends, watching kids grow up on our produce. Live in my smallish home town, blue state, but red county.

Like wine, weed, good food, all types of music, and reading mysteries. And fond of you all too.

Me: 63, female. I seem strongly informed by having been an Army brat for the first 22 years. Stopped working as a technical writer a few years ago to care for my mom who passed away a year ago. I haven’t gone back to work and not sure I will. Worked many thankless years in HR.

Divide my time between MN and FL, but have Alabama roots (Roll Tide).

I’m married (#2) to a like-minded guy 22 years. Have a daughter and some step kids and grandkids.

I‘m an introvert who loves to walk, to knit, listen to music and to bake.

Baby mourning dove or Godzilla?

Nerdy cougar here. Okay, actually just a nerd. I'm a technical editor/writer and I own a minidress with a picture of Perseverance and Ingenuity's schematics (Mars rover and copter). Longtime boyfriend. Cats. White Sox.

55 year old mom of 4, and mamaw of 10, pawrent of 2 corgis and 4 kats - married to the most amazing woman that accepts all my insanity and loves me anyway. Bangs my head on desk on daily basis working in IT - spare time is woodworking, sewing, knitting, painting, reading or hanging out in the pool (for 3 short months every year)

Me? Just another geezer that never grew up.

Retired fairly young...at 56, because I couldn't find a career I enjoyed. I've spent most of my life avoiding success, except at marriage, where I've somehow found a partner that despite all my best efforts, finds me loving, handsome, charming and do able. Sometimes she even laughs at my jokes.

One thing I find peculiar at the age of 70 is how, after a dull and uneventful life, I have wound up with so many great memories, each one a story no one wants to hear.

I also find it odd that I've never, ever been confident or happy in my own skin. I've always hated having my pic taken because I'm overweight, out of shape, have a stupid expression or bad hair. Then when I look back on those pics, think 'What was I thinking?' If only someone had told me yes, you will get old, you're not immortal, take advantage of your youth and good health and do more good shit!

Young middle-aged woman in a small big city (or is it a large small town) between the east coast and the midwest. Spouse was on the edge before but went all the way to crazytown since the election and pandemic. Will I be widowed or divorced first, place your wagers now.

My dog is a Mittel Spitz, not a "Pomeranian mix," thank you very much.

The more I learn, the more I understand how very little I know, and I feel like that realization makes me smarter than most people (present company excluded.)

Male, 61. Retired mailman. Happily single. Spend half my time in a suburb of Seattle and half out on the WA coast in an anti-vaxxer conspiracy theory (Kindergarteners are being shown pornography!!!) beach tourist town. The house out on the coast I share with a friend who is an RN who does phone nurse stuff remotely. Born in Chicago. Like progressive rock and yet to meet anyone personally who has heard of an English progressive band called IQ.

55 year old male, married. No children. One shelter dog. One shelter cat. I live in a very red state in America's Rust Belt.

It is very nice to meet everyone here. Thank you, @TotsNPears , for the great topic.

Me:

67 yo retired female. Formerly HR person. My last gig, prior to retirement, was managing a bunch of consultants who were responsible for implementing software for government contractors.

I moved to a +55 condo in St. Paul, MN 6 months before COVID. After I moved, I took advantage of cooking classes, (Bundt cakes and Christmas cookies are my specialties), and sewing classes. I also was regularly attending Silver Sneakers fitness classes and yoga sessions. In March 2020, my plans for retirement changed dramatically. When COVID started, I was a mask maven.

My two dogs keep me good company. My sister keeps me updated on the latest and greatest streaming opportunities. My 95 yo mother survived COVID - as did the rest of my vaxxed family. Friends, who have different societal values than me, have gone by the wayside. I have no patience for neo fascists. I have no patience for faux Xtians.

After the George Floyd murder, and the protests that followed, I thought things would get better. I thought maybe people had discovered some of their lost humanity. Boy was I ever wrong. The posts I read in the paper and on the Racist Nextdoor app are horrible.

I come to SAV for the humanity each member of this community so clearly demonstrate. Thank you.

I'm a male, 40something attorney, living in Texas. Have a wife, 3 kids, and a house with a rickety fence that needs replacement.

I'm 71, married to a musician for a very long and happy time. Retired from HR at a tech company. Love to cook and especially bake. I've been practicing yoga for 10 years but also believe in science. Inherited a wicked sense of humor and a potty mouth from my Democrat mom. Used to be a Christian but now a Humanist.

I'm a 67-year-old woman who retired from office work at a university—April 1, 2020 (April fools to me! 😳) precisely at the time the COVID hit. Still trying to imagine a normal retirement. Living in Minneapolis waiting for the temps to rise and the rains to stop so I can start biking for the summer. My other main passion is genealogy. Been working on that research for 40 years and am writing the family history book in my retirement. One of the reasons I dumped arguing with idiots on Facebook was to free up time from those distractions.

Female. Mother. 52. Military dependent. ”Essential worker”/corporate bs for $. WA state. I have anger management problems and it’s entirely the fault of Republicans. I have gone through many phases in life but I’ve always been a socialist. Because it makes fucking sense. I would be dead without society. And while I may be a hard worker, if we had to rely on folks like me to invent stuff to push humanity forward, we would all still be in caves. Yes, they’d be cozy, but we would never leave.

I'm the lady at that pharmacy down the street, who asks you if you'd like to donate some money to that dang charity we always sponsor, and who always greets everyone when they come in or leave.

I write too much and talk too much but don't have much to say that is any good. A rabble-rouser at best.

Oh, I also write. A lot. Ask the NYT about that.

😎