I’m getting married to the most wonderful person I know on Monday. Today we got the marriage license!

Thank you!

I was sent to a series of the ‘better’ programs—i.e., the ones without deaths attached to them. It took a decade of therapy to deal with the worst of the trauma and I still experience PTSD episodes several times each year. It’s astounding how these facilities carry on functioning with merely a name change. There’s almost no regulation, let alone patient rights. My first program was truly one of the better ones and they had patient rights information posted through the facility and hard copies provided in your welcome packet. When I was sent to my second program (wilderness), I asked what my patient rights were. I received dumbfounded stares followed by laughter.

Your best bet may be to find some general congestion charge videos (ie, not NYC-specific coverage). Most of what I’ve come across is extremely sparse—offering only the facts of the suggested charges with little analysis—or absurdly car-centric outrage bait.

I’ve had to explain to far too many friends and colleagues why congestion fares are just and necessary—most have absolutely no conception of the damage (private) vehicles do to any environment, but especially a pedestrian-heavy urban space.

Posted mere moments after I set a batch of cold brew to do its thing! Oh well, next week I guess—no bad way to start a Monday.

Book Darts! I’m typically reading for research and writing and the book darts are great for coming back to the right sentence when I’ve stopped off. I’ll leave them in long-term if I’m swapping between edited volumes—I’ve got a tin of 100, so it’s no problem if I leave a few within books here and there. I typically add one to the first page whenever a new book comes home. If I haven’t got one already placed or I start reading while out and about I dog-ear.

Coffee in water! I use a French press and pour it through a V60 filter because I prefer a clean drinking experience. My most used recipe for cold brew is 500g water and 83g coffee (1:6 ratio) and leave it for 24-48 hours (depending on how much warning I have).

If I know I’m hosting a larger crowd than one or two friends, my go-to is a large batch of cold brew. This allows me to serve both hot and iced coffee depending on my guests’ preference. I aim for 100g of concentrate per guest and top it with 100g of hot water or a mix of ice and cold water.

I like the stability of keeping my settings in the same place across devices. I do travel a lot and often adjust my data roaming, SIM card, and date/time settings (I like my phone to be on the destination time the moment the plane takes off). Mostly it has to do with keeping my priority apps on the right side of the phone, rather than in the dock—my most used apps are all in the two rightmost columns.

I completely concur. Step one is to upgrade to a burr grinder—manual will be cheaper, electric more expensive. You’ll want something for espresso, ideally with stepless adjustments.

As others have said, simply providing a stable place to be around another child and adult will do leaps and bounds. But if possible I would work on helping him get into activities he can do on his own when he is dragged to mom’s work and told to sit quietly in a corner or sent to the disinterested aunt—because that’s bound to happen again.

Maybe try discovering if he likes reading and what sort of material? Children’s paperbacks can be found inexpensively; library cards are free either for a physical library or digitally. If you find he’s into reading, an on-sale Kindle could be an option that you regularly load up with Libby ebooks.

How about a small sketchbook and a few pencils if he’s artistically minded? He doesn’t need a whole kit, just a few pieces for him to pass the time. If he’s into games, perhaps teach him solitaire or get him a travel chess set. Maybe sports are more his things, then fantasy football or some such.

I think teaching and helping him develop some low-cost, unobtrusive coping mechanisms could really save his mental health in the long-term. It’s a bit grim having to suggest all these solitary activities for a child, but the reality is that he will find himself in these isolating situations again. Giving him the tools to develop interests and hobbies without his mother/aunt’s intervention will put him in a better psychological place as he ages and will provide naturally-occurring encounters with potential friends who share his interests.