Posts by placidfox55

velvettrucker52 said:@Emily, I didn't delete your posts—my colleague did.
I actually agree with his call; those posts definitely needed to go because they weren't adding anything to the conversation.
Zud isn't a support group; it's a discussion forum. Posts like "hang in there, things will get better" don't contribute anything to a debate.

@placidfox55/">@@placidfox55 - if I recall correctly, I’ve had to pull posts from you that were just emojis or an emoji paired with "I agree." That’s useless spam, and we clear it out for everyone. Plus, if my memory serves, after I deleted those, you kept trying to repost them under the guise that you have a right to express agreement.

The forum rules are public. It isn't my "job" to sit here and teach you how to write properly on a message board.

That's all from me.

Anything you moderated for me was ages ago; I don't remember.

But I constantly see people "preaching" at others with these little life lessons. It’s pretty tedious, totally unhelpful, and honestly unprofessional. As a moderator, you're here to do a job, not to act like a life coach. 🙂 😎

On the diaspora side of things.

For those of us living out the American Dream, our conversations usually boil down to a few core pillars:

1) Jobs—which operate on a totally different wavelength here compared to other immigrant groups elsewhere.

2) Food—another thing that’s uniquely specific to life here.

3) Free time—it’s diverse, sure, but the lifestyle is fundamentally different from the rest of the world.

4) Immigration—we get hit with endless questions about moving to the US, so we try to give straight answers.

5) American traditions—things people back in Europe think they "get" because they've seen them in Hollywood movies. I say movies, not documentaries. That was a tough lesson for us: we thought we knew everything about America too, only to realize we had to separate the Hollywood myth from the actual reality once we landed.

The moderators seem bored by all this, so they just dump everything into one massive thread. It results in everyone shouting over each other in the same space—one person talking food, another about visas, someone else about lawyers, then cars, taxes, local comfort foods, or whether or not to start celebrating Thanksgiving.

That's the gist of it. I don't see why every single topic related to the US has to be crammed into one single bucket.

I have absolutely no clue what you're talking about.

It seems to me like velvettrucker52 loves moderating in a way that puts her on a pedestal above the rest of us... because, clearly... she's just such a polite little moderator... 🤣

velvettrucker52, you could try recommending the forum rules without being condescending. Or better yet, stop using yourself as some kind of "gold standard" for everyone else to follow. ☕

It’s pretty obvious to me that whenever a moderator sees a topic even remotely related to the States, they just toss it straight into "The American Dream" section without a second thought.

Look, you’ll get what I’m saying—that whole thread about the father-in-law and the mother-in-law was actually a solid way to kick things off on this forum. And that one about Thanksgiving? That hit different. Even the visa discussion felt like something special.

It’s always the same routine on here. One person is deep in a debate about Thanksgiving plans, someone else is venting about their father-in-law and the struggles of a new immigrant son-in-law, one guy is obsessing over his H1 visa status, and then there's that twentieth person asking where they can pick up some McCormick seasoning.

Don't get mad at me, but I’m honestly just over this whole "American Dream" thing. It’s lost its charm.

😢

ambermason16 said:With all due respect to the holiday, what's there to say besides 🙂? Who stuffed their turkey with what, and whose house was the party at... anyway, peace out.

I don't bother jumping into threads I don't get either. 🙂

I don't see the connection. 🙂 😎

Grace Diaz76 said:

placidfox55 said:I am strictly AGAINST opening up threads about "Life in America" just to fill them with mindless chatter about Thanksgiving!!!

I don't see any reason why we have to cram the entire American diaspora into one single thread every time.

Look, there are already plenty of threads covering different aspects of Life in America, so I don't see why anyone needs to be stubborn about this one.

Grace Diaz76, I gotta hand it to you—you really don't know when to quit! 😲 😲 👎

😢

Alright, then go ahead and take the conversation over to the thread about chatters. Easy. 🙂

Easy are you proud of yourself !!!! Banning us from the proper forum topic? So now we have to talk about Thanksgiving as refugees here instead?

😲

The true symbolism behind Thanksgiving...

I hope the admins gave you a pat on the back for being such a hardass with the moderation!!! 👍 👍 👍

Aha... just a quick breather between two "side hustles"... grabbing an apple before dinner... gotta make sure I don't overdo it... 😁

Jonathan Ward27 said:They’re probably going to shut this place down next, since it's clearly decided that anyone not toeing the line for whoever's in charge gets kicked out. But look, moderation isn't supposed to be a dictatorship. This is just a low-rent, small-town version of authoritarianism wrapped in pure arrogance. Just walk away from the forum before you lose your mind. It isn't worth the stress.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Spot on. This kind of narrow-minded "moderation" really makes me wonder why I'm even wasting my time here...

Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂 😎

I am explicitly AGAINST turning "Life in America" into a dumping ground for mindless chatter about Thanksgiving!!!

There’s zero reason to force the entire "American diaspora" into one single thread every time a specific topic pops up.

Besides, we already have multiple threads covering different sides of living in the USA, so there's really no need to be this stubborn about it.

Grace Diaz76, I've gotta hand it to you—you're certainly persistent! 😲 😲 👎

😢

Total joke!!! 👍

What’s the deal? They’re shutting down my Thanksgiving thread...
🙄

We’re constantly starting threads about one holiday or another, or some specific candy, yet somehow I'm not allowed to even mention Thanksgiving?
What, are you guys just sick of hearing from the American diaspora?

Fine, if that's how it is, just say so, Grace Diaz76.....

👎

😢

Hey, person! Where have you been hiding?? I was actually just thinking about you today!! 🙂 😎

👋

Darren
Fashionista.

darren Avatar

Registered: Dec 2002.
Location: .
Posts: 7,520

Hey ladies... about a year ago, cosmetics used to just be a sub-section under the fashion sub-forum. We took a massive leap forward by pulling it out into its own main section and breaking it down into smaller niche boards; the admins gave us a shot at it back then.

I think Darren has a completely different take than I do.

I’ve been lurking on Reddit since the early 2000s, posting since the late 2000s, and I’ve been here since day one of the reformed Reddit 2002-e.

Cosmetics used to exist as just a few threads within the women's corner.

Then the Fashion and Cosmetics sub-forum was created, which was actually mostly just cosmetics. Eventually, they split apart. I wouldn't say "Cosmetics" was carved out of "Fashion." If anything, it was the opposite—Fashion broke away from the dominant Cosmetics hub that had been drawing huge crowds for years.

I refuse to believe Cosmetics is some tiny, insignificant little sub-forum that only formed a year ago.

Here is why I don't think last year's reorganization worked:

1. The sheer volume of cosmetic products is insane; everything stays relevant at once. If we don't stay organized, threads will just sink, resurface, or people will keep opening duplicate threads with new dates...

2. The number of women on this site interested in beauty is shockingly high!!! (Nine years ago, hardly anyone dared to mention an interest in lipsticks; today, everyone has their own theory of relativity or a PhD-level dissertation on lipstick 😁 , and honestly, good for them!!)

3. Interest groups are incredibly diverse. We need to allow multiple active threads to run simultaneously.

That's my two cents.

quietpilot87 said:Ida, I'm right there with you. 👍
One piece of advice (coach... 🤔 He said something on a talk show once: if you’re active but eat like garbage, you’re going to look like garbage. But if you stay sedentary and eat perfectly, you'll still look fine. 👍
It’s basic logic: you really are what you eat. 🤔

That’s just not true. You’ve gotta keep moving. If you want to stay in shape and actually take care of your heart, movement isn't optional. But more importantly... What’s on your plate and how much?.

At least we know what works. The Mediterranean diet has proven once again that it’s one of the best ways to stay healthy. 👍

jadetiger962 said:Oatmeal is the way to go for breakfast. Toss in some other grains, maybe a bit of dried fruit, splash some milk or yogurt over it, and you're set.

Yeah, we picked that one up from Americans... 🙄

Oatmeal is great, but I’m talking about how the old-timers used to make it—back in the day for folks in the US, or even the old-school Irish and English styles: whole grain, simmered for 30 to 40 minutes. 👍 Keep the sugar out of it (or at least minimal). Mix in some fresh fruit and low-fat milk or yogurt.

All those instant oatmeal packets that take two minutes to prep? They're just unnecessary starch with a massive glycemic index.

Jessica Walker said:😲

I haven't had a real bowel movement in five days. My diet was pretty standard—actually, I ate more carbs than usual, which normally would have sent me running to the restroom.

Carbs aren't all the same when it comes to digestion. You've got the high-fiber stuff that keeps things moving (think apples, spinach, beans, lentils, prunes) and then you've got the ones that can actually slow you down (like white bread, bananas, or pears). It’s all about focusing on the fiber.🙂

Jessica Walker said:And I was drinking plenty of ice water, obviously, because of the heat.

Ice water won't cause constipation. The thing is, if you increase your fiber intake without upping your fluids, those fibers just sit there and clump together, which is what leads to the backup.

Jessica Walker said:And finally, after a couple of cups of hot coffee, I finally made it to the bathroom today.

It’s not the temperature of the coffee that does the trick; it’s the caffeine. It hits the gut chemically.🙂 😎

Jessica Walker said:Has this ever happened to any of you?

Yeah, I've definitely dealt with constipation before whenever I switch up my eating habits.🙂 😎 Usually, you just have to look at what changed in your diet and start adding back the specific foods needed to get things balanced again. If that doesn't work, go see a doctor.🙂

Americans are leading the charge when it comes to weight gain—the numbers have skyrocketed over the last decade. Honestly, the rest of the world is following suit, and Americans aren't far behind.

Even though Americans supposedly know everything there is to know about healthy Mediterranean eating (think tons of veggies, fish, walnuts, yogurt, and fresh cheese), it’s way too easy to fall for these new American food fads like:

- Instant rice (they actually serve this stuff in restaurants!!!!! 😕🤣) (it's got a massive glycemic index, makes you pack on the pounds, tastes nothing like actual rice, and the texture is just mushy)
- Instant breakfast cereals (huge glycemic index)
- Instant cappuccino mixes (loaded with sugar and hydrogenated fats that mess with your cholesterol and lead to atherosclerosis)
- Pre-packaged tuna salads dripping in mayo (enough calories to fuel a construction worker for a whole day)
- Sandwiches with a giant slab of meat, three slices of fatty deli cuts, and zero vegetables. (not enough greens, too much fat, and way too many starches that turn straight into cholesterol and contribute to heart issues)

While our grandparents are still around, we should take advantage of their wisdom and figure out some better alternatives for quick snacks, simple bites, easy breakfasts, or budget-friendly lunches...

Lisa Young83 said:My dad passed away about two and a half years ago because he choked on some food. 😢 And the thing is, there were plenty of people standing right there...

Man, I'm sorry. 😢

Nazalos, you're spot on.

Luckily—there’s always a comeback. A total lifestyle pivot. 🙂 😎

Nicole Davis7 said:It can't be clean if it just "did its job," you know what I mean? 🤣 😂

They say the toilet seat actually cleans way better than the kitchen sink. That thing looks like it’s crawling with every nasty bacteria under the sun. 😲