My parents bought the old Brooklyn home that I grew up in back in the ‘90s. It cost them about $150k, plus however much it cost to renovate after its previous owner, an elderly hoarder, had evacuated the premises. When they sold the three-story home to retire to Vermont a few years ago, the value had risen to 1.3 million dollars. That’s a staggering 766% increase. And while I'm happy they made bank on their nest egg, the sale was also a sobering reminder that owning a home in this climate - let…

The joys of retail

The holidays are hard on a lot of people, for a lot of reasons. Many people don't get along with their families - or worse, can't see them - and experience a lonely week of watching other people enjoying the company of loved ones. Some people do get along with their families and have loving friends , but are in a dark place and feel awful around them. I happen to fall into the latter camp. Having a good relationship with one's family is tricky. I happen to be struggling with a heavy bout of d e…

If you ask anyone in the United States , they'll tell you that the dollar just isn't what it used to be. I used to be able to buy two big chocolate bars for that amount. Hell, I'd buy a pack of cigarettes for $4 when I was way too young to be smoking. That same pack is now $16 and change. Inflation is a b*tch. As many other people will have you know, that same dollar (or four quarters) can go a long way in other countries. Redditor u/sucka_3650 decided to investigate this discrepancy by asking…

A lot of people have been talking about how Elon Musk ruined Twitter. While the dude is undeniably insufferable, we regret to inform these folks that the app has almost always been iffy at best. Sure, there's a lot to be laughed at (and learned about) on Twitter, but there's also a lot that scares us. Pompous incels spouting dangerous vitriol , political know-it-alls who love reading their own words, and those people who really, really need to touch grass one of these days. To say that Twitter…

Hahaha, as I write this it's almost 5 o'clock in the afternoon (evening?) and the sun has almost set. By the time I finish this listicle, it will be dark. And I'll feel as though there's nothing left of this cursed day. What will I do next? Well, that depends on my depression level . If it's low, I might actually work out and feel okay about my life. If it's at a medium, I'll probably eat dinner and watch one of my British detective series. And if it's high? Well, you know I'm taking the bong t…

If there's one thing health and fitness people will do, it's talk about gut health. I understand that it's important for your large and small intestines to function regularly, but I wish there were other ways to talk about it. Something about the word “gut” rubs me the wrong way. It hits my ear the same way “moist” does for so many others. I know it's supposed to be a sanitised way to describe your bowel movements, but I feel like

Being sad is so in right now

What a wonderful world.

Portland comedian @jayshingle is the mastermind of the bizarre and eerily depressing " Ordinary People Memes " Instagram account. The memes pair incredibly banal text with photos of, well, very ordinary people - and the results range from amusingly relatable to slightly dark and lonely. We hesitate to refer to them as a commentary on the volume of inanely basic tweets and memes , but they're definitely a weird palate cleanser after scrolling through pandering low-effort content.

Oh no

Something's gotta give.

Ugh

When the entirety of existence just seems to become a boring series of tedious tasks and tending to thankless responsibilities, it can be hard to find the time to decompress and watch that television show you've been meaning to binge watch, or read a good book for a the first time in lord knows how long. But we can't just let the perils, pains and boredom of adulthood get the better of us. We deserve a refreshing dose of spontaneous fun every now and then. Nobody wants a predictable life. Even…

It's official: February is the worst month.

You know what they say. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. All play, and all that fun starts to lose it's luster. At the end of the day, it's all about balance. But balance is hard to reach when the stress and demands of everyday life are wearing you down. It almost seems like the hellish and grueling routine will never end. It's Sisyphean, if you will. While it is true that everyone need a paycheck , it really is not worth becoming a fried and burnt out drone in the name of capitalism…