They’re complex and awesome creatures. I had one, named Alfredo, who lived for years, because I did the research.

Nearly all hermit crabs have been kidnapped from the beach, and that made me feel so guilty… I didn’t know when I got him from a mall.

They can’t just go in a tiny aquarium, or they’ll get depressed, malnourished, and die.

They need heat rocks to remember basking in the sun; they love snacks (Alfredo adored cheez-its covered in peanut butter); they have gills, so their shells must have water in them, or they’ll stop breathing; they love exercising… you can get the hermit crab version of a hamster wheel and they will play on it all day. They’re also really social. They want friends, places to hide, places to dig, to roam and explore, and if they do, they’ll live a long life.

I said this too. I still play every day.

I still play Neopets every day. It’s been excellent for my mental health and it’s the most wholesome community I’ve ever been a part of.

No no no, the Moa got shafted in the choice of mummified specimen and needs someone to stand up for it. This enormous bird was alive until just 500 years ago, when the Maori people came to New Zealand and learned how tasty (and territorial) the Moa were. This is a well preserved foot that just screams dinosaur and just for a reference to their size… It’s the BIG one

They needed better representation. 😅

On my phone, the bg image dims as you scroll up and down. My ADHD just distracted me into “playing a game of nighttime daytime” with the image…

American married to a Kiwi. I’ve got a Kiwi Terminology Quiz that I’m happy to send over, if you want. Budgie Smugglers, Jandals, Togs… and that’s just the beach section.

Be prepared, Americans talk way too much for most Kiwis. The kiwi accent can be monotone/robotic, so you might be getting a compliment, but not realize it is one. Yeah naw and naw yeah don’t always mean what you think. My family and Kiwi mates don’t like how hyperbolic Americans are… if you say something is awesome, it better be literally awe inspiring. You’ll learn not to exaggerate too much. Don’t boast on your resumes, like we have to do in the States, or you could be looked over.

If you use the ratio of housing expenses to income, Nurses are not paid well in the big cities. My friend was making about that, as a nurse, and until she got married to my husband’s best friend, who’s a farmer; she was in her 30s and still living with parents.

If you use over the counter medications like melatonin, cough drops, vitamins, ibuprofen, bring it yourself. Healthcare might be inexpensive, but the cost of stuff you’d find on the shelves at a CVS are RIDICULOUSLY priced, compared to the USA. Do not bring any cough syrup. Pack ibuprofen… get costco sized ibuprofen to bring with you. Trust me. It’s called Nurofen and it’s so so freaking expensive.

Be prepared to have yourself and your stuff thoroughly searched, inspected, and sprayed. Your cat will be quarantined for a few weeks (on your dime) to make sure it’s safe. NZ takes their environment and ecosystem VERY seriously and you WILL be fined if you don’t declare every single food/seed/dirt/drink/fur/weapon you have. If you get an apple on the plane, dispose of it before you get to customs or you WILL be fined. If you’re bringing any shoes, camping equipment, hiking gear, etc., make sure it’s clean and free of dirt/mud. Your stuff will be secretly sprayed with an insecticide. It’s normal, safe, and happens to everyone.

Be prepared to learn to garden in whatever space you have. Stacking pots that can be indoors or out on a patio, are your friends. The costs of food and produce are an EXTREME culture shock to Americans. A basket full of food at Aldi might reach $150. That same basket in NZ is gonna be about $500. Learn to take kitchen scraps and grow food from it. You can’t have seeds from other countries imported, so you get creative.

It’s a beautiful place, the people are kind, and the weather is pretty mild. It’s home, but the financial aspects are still jarring. Be prepared… the minimum wage is higher, but so is the cost of almost everything else.

Edit: only small farming communities will be upset by LGBTQ people. There’s so many queer people here, and it’s a very accepting country… the first to give women the right to vote.

Thank you! I didn’t realize part of the joke was hidden on my app.

You’re not wrong for wanting to avoid a situation because of the potential of screaming children, but it’s important to remember that, with parents, it’s a package deal. To avoid overstimulation, try and go to a park for the first meeting. Like get coffee and go to a place with a playground where the toddler can run wild, and the 6 month can be in a stroller or rocker. Being outside vs bring in a building where screams can echo, makes a big difference.

Something that helps me hang-outs with my friends who have kids, is remembering that screaming children are inevitable… but most of the time, I’m not enjoying the company of my friends alongside the random, misbehaving ones. This time, you can make a friend.

I don’t know why people are still surprised by this… it’s irresponsible to be giving birth, right now, unless someone is in a good place financially. Healthcare costs are ridiculous, houses are too expensive, jobs are basically all automated or outsourced to save CEOs money, and the world in general, is going to shit.

I got my fallopian tubes removed. If I change my mind about wanting kids, I’ll adopt a teen whose been in the foster system for a while. Someone already on this earth. We don’t need more new babies. There’s hundreds of thousands of children in our current foster system who would love a home.

Furries are some of the kindest people out there. They raise massive amounts of money and items for charity; are generally very accepting and inclusive; and they are normally very talented and creative sewists too. Don’t lump them in. They’re misunderstood and bullied for it.

If you missed more than 10 days of work at any job, it’s likely you’ll be fired, so they can just pull themselves up by the boot-straps and find another job.

As a kid, we were so poor, it was scary. I remember living in a car, having to choose between going hungry or eating food that was past its prime, and learning Santa wasn’t real too young (I couldn’t understand why my friends got expensive dream gifts… I thought I had been good)

After going through all that and my mom overdosing, I started collecting things that would accumulate value or were an investment. Comic books and figurines are my go to, but I’ve also got machines for creating cosplays (as that’s my career now). I won’t buy anything that I can’t pawn off in an emergency to survive, or use it to make money. I really should have been collecting coins/gold/silver, but I picked what was fun.

Also, shoutout to my elementary school’s lunch lady, who noticed a tiny, thin girl using the free lunch program, and offered her seconds, after everyone else had been served. I don’t think she knows how much she touched my life.

I can have a bit of onion powder, but dried onions wreck my stomach

Yup! Those are just the tops of an onion plant

I minored in business law and we were taught this

Per copyright law in the United States, the designs must be 15% different to create one’s own artistic copyright. They’re several that are close, but 15% isn’t that much. Obviously Nintendo isn’t a US company, but it’ll be interesting to set how this goes

It’s hard. I still eat garlic on occasion, even though it makes me sick. Luckily, I’ve always had a bad reaction with an onion, so my body rejects the flavor too

It sucks having an allium intolerance… no one will take my garlic from me though, even if it makes me miserable later

I’m so glad that someone leaked that Roe v. Wade was getting overturned. I scheduled my sterilization and I’m so so happy. There is still a LONG waitlist to get sterilized.

No babies, no periods, no cramps, no mood swings, life is good. (Bilateral Salpingectomy and Endometrial Ablation are an awesome combo)

If we have more than $2k in assets, a number that hasn’t changed since 1974, we lose our food and Medical on SSI, too… it’s ridiculous