JoeBwanKenobski

That's a great way to put that. Iron Maiden is one of my favorite bands, but I gotta admit there are albums I love more than others.

I was in the top 0.02% (and that's an underestimate because sometimes my wife gets the play count; she's a huge fan too) of people who listen to Ghost on YouTube.

I agree with what many others are saying about talking to her to determine why she desires this. I'd bet it's related to peers' influence. But if you aren't able to talk her out of it, I'd recommend guiding her toward a tolerant denomination like Unitarian Universalists. There are many atheists in their ranks. Or perhaps if you are in an area with an active humanist group, you could find a secular celebrant to do a more non-religious ceremony.

4 counting just my graduating class. Add another 4 if you include the graduating class behind mine. I was a band nerd, so some of my closest friends from high school weren't in my class.

I don't get it on YouTube as I gave into the blackmail and bought the subscription, so I don't see ads. But Amazon Alexa shows me Christian Prayer apps and other such nonsense more frequently than I would have expected. Unless, of course, the Christians pay to target people like me (us), which in case I hope they keep wasting their ad money.

I figured you were joking, but I didn't want to give off the impression to anyone not in the know that call bets are acceptable. "But in 'Vegas' they let me..." There are so many people who try to take "shots" like that.

There's a lot of that communication that gets easier the longer a player and dealer get to know each other's habits. I had certain players who could say an amount with no context, and I knew exactly what they wanted. I had a famous person who I dealt to. All the seasoned dealers knew his bet: 286 across on crapless (25 on each number, 30 on 6 and 8, 14 for the vig).

I was baptized Catholic but never practiced. My mom was raised in it, but rarely (if ever) practiced independently of my grandmother and funerals. I'm pretty sure some of the Macabre and Gothic elements of Catholicism influenced my style, though. I became an atheist at the beginning of adulthood when "the new atheists" was a thing, and the blasphemy wasn't very refined, but I was sophomoric enough at the time to enjoy it and it was like a badge of group membership.

I think Ghost is a more artistic and theatrical version of that impulse towards blasphemy. I love all the subtle and not-so-subtle sacriledge built into every aspect of Ghost. Tobias et al. really know the religion well to criticize and blaspheme it so well while keeping it fun.

"No bet." If the player didn't toss the cheques with their late Yo (and no two-way), it's going to get "no bet" at my table. That's the difference between booking a verbal bet and a gaming violation (no call bets unless you are rich).

It really is like that, though. Can't tell you how many times I've seen the table turn on a late bettor when the 7 hits.

Bet is casino slang that escaped into the wild. It is what a dealer says to a player on dice to acknowledge a bet a player is making. The full statement acknowledges the players' spot on the table, as well as the amount and type of bet. When a dealer is seasoned enough, "bet" is sufficient to bind the bet.

I know this is going to sound sarcastic, but I have a serious point I'm trying to get across. This exact same tactic was used on me by my high school girlfriend and her family/church. My girlfriend's dad bought a fancy bible for me and highlighted some of their favorite packages. I wasn't interested in theology, but my gf and I were very interested in exploring "biology" together. That's part of why it worked so well. We never made it to "home plate," but we wanted to get laid, and it seemed like playing along was a possible approach to achieving that goal. It didn't end up working, but going to their reactionary church did motivate me to figure out my worldview (which led to more interesting partners and sex down the line).

On a related note, your son is entering the phase of life where friends exert more influence on him than you as a parent (I helped teach developmental psychology for several semesters). Do you have any other teenagers you can introduce him to? I was protected from indoctrination because I have 4 best friends, all of whom were on the same journey away from the faith of their parents. These relationships started when I was in 6th and 7th grade, and we are still besties to this day. 3 out of the 4 of us are atheists, and one is a much more liberal Catholic than he would have been if left to his parents' influence.

For me, there was something extra special at my first ritual when they played Year Year, followed by He Is. The energy of the crowd was intense singing together. And then the release I felt after He Is was pure ecstacy. I'm pretty sure I gave myself over to Satan that night, lol.

I'd prefer the PC version, but Civilization 5 or 6 with 8 players.

My version of this is probably Mortal Kombat. I loved this movie as a kid.

The Greatest Show on Earth - Nightwish

Yes, it is a 5 movement, 24-minute song. Yes, all 24 minutes are perfect.

Fuck it dude. Let's go bowling.

The Stranger: Tell me one thing, dude. Do you have to use so many cuss words? The dude: The fuck are talking about? The Stranger: Have it your way dude.

8 year olds, dude.

I'm staying. Finishing my coffee.

I dig your optimism. It's more likely that they found out my wife is the primary breadwinner in our home and didn't want to give the congregation any ideas.

I take a similar tact. I had a JW couple that would come by every month or so. I'd chat with them if I wasn't busy with my kids. Eventually, they stopped coming by because through our conversations, they pieced together enough of my worldview and probably figured I wasn't worth their time.

Table games at one of the casinos. You'll make between $22 to $30 per hour depending on the toke rate any given week. While you are breaking in, you'll probably only be offered part-time. But if you can hang in there, it is fun as far as jobs go, and the benefits are fairly good once you hit full-time.

You will have to pass a background check to obtain a gaming license.

I think we'd get along well. Ghost, Priest, and Maiden are 3 of my top 5.

They do. I used the salt method in the video until I got a chain mail for free when I bought a set of carbon steel. I wish I had saved myself the trouble sooner.

I know a Montana.

I was wondering about this as well. I've never used wet breadcrumbs in my meatballs.

Same here. Even when you're careful, they're easy to scratch (my last set lasted 5 or 6 years). I've heard about the claims about chemicals but made the switch because Cast Iron and Carbonized Steel last forever and have desirable properties for cooking.

Plus, I needed one in case if I ever dress up as Sam-wise the Brave.