Agreed. Sure there were some freshman level courses that were pretty basic and lectures that were skippable. But all of the Junior and Senior level courses were much more challenging and I really needed to understand everything for science lab work to not just be a pile of burnt crap. There were also the exams that were so hard they let us have open textbooks, just studying alone at home wouldn’t have gotten through those exams.

The non-Goodwill thrift stores around me are still affordable and they support local nonprofits

Find a supportive and fulfilling community that is trying to make things better locally. I’ve found this at my Unitarian Universalist (UU) church. UU’s don’t believe in a shared religious text, instead they have a core set of shared values. During World War 2, UUs helped Jewish people and other oppressed peoples escape the Nazis to other countries with a system of safe houses and creating travel documents. They identified safe houses with a flaming oil chalice in the window, which is now the main symbol of UUism.

My church has people who identify as atheist, Christian, several types of pagan, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, etc. We celebrate religious holidays from all of them as well as secular holidays like Trans Day of Visibility and Earth day. The focus is on being together and trying to make the world a better place. There’s active volunteer groups for hunger relief, housing support, the environment, and LGBTQ support. I also really like the music program. There’s a handy website to find a congregation near you, many stream services on Zoom so you can test them out before going in person. They can vary a lot based on the members of each congregation.

If you smoke, quitting is the number one thing you can do to improve your physical and mental health. In the US you can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit Lung.org for free evidence-based resources to help with quitting.

On to the OP question, inhaling smoke of any kind exposes you to carcinogens. In tobacco smoke, the most abundant by mass is Benzo[a]pyrene, which is created by the process of burning. It is absorbed into your bloodstream in the lungs and damages DNA in every cell it touches. If the DNA damage occurs in the wrong gene, that can kick off a decades long process of more mutations that ultimately lead to uncontrolled cell grow. Inflammation, also caused by inhaling smoke, encourages cells to grow more and amplifies cancerous mutations.

Quitting stops the exposure to new DNA damage and inflammation, but there has already been some damage done.

Edit, adding an alcohol answer: Heavy alcohol use also takes a toll on your body. A big cause of this is that alcohol is fairly quickly metabolised into acetaldehyde by the liver. However, the acetaldehyde dehydrogenase enzyme can be limiting to detoxify the acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is an aldehyde, much like formaldehyde, and thus highly reactive with proteins and DNA. So it can damage those as well. Acetaldehyde is also the chemical mostly responsible for feelings of being hung over (in addition to general dehydration).

A local bank once did a mailed ad campaign that went along the lines of:

“Tired of living with your parents? Check out our mortgage rates” and stuff along the lines of your parents won’t be doing your laundry anymore.

Like have they never heard of renting?

I want more on this too. Amazon’s monopoly has made it so hard to find alternative online stores to buy a lot of stuff, particularly if I don’t already know the name of a trusted manufacturer off the top of my head. Even competitor companies like Target and Walmart often offer less selection with higher prices and slower shipping. Also why is it that online retailers seem so scammy these days? Most brands seem to be new/disposable Chinese company names I’ve never heard of and reviews seem inflated/bot generated.

It seems like my local thrift store has the best quality to price for a lot of stuff, but they don’t always have something I’m looking for

The new Slate mini pick up trucks are expected to be in production this year and come in around $20k new. Used EVs already come in under $20k and are good enough for daily commuting in that price range, perhaps not long distance road trips at that price

And/or public transit!

Propaganda from the fossil fuel industry.

Solar panels are the cheapest source of electricity now. Batteries have dropped in price by more than 90% in the past decade, and are now viable for grid-scale storage, addressing the main issue with renewable energy. EVs are competitive with combustion cars, and in some ways superior. Heat pumps are now superior to furnaces in many locations. The solar punk future is now! But you wouldn’t know any of this by listening to the public discourse, mainstream media, and many politicians.

Relevant video from Technology Connections

Los Angeles uses plastic balls to cover their drinking water reservoir… At least solar panels provide energy too

Donald Glover. He’s so talented in so many ways.

He started as a stand up comedian and now has 2 Emmy’s and 5 Grammys

He’s got EGOT potential

Not sure if it’s still the case, but airlines used to give flight credits to doctors who helped out. Probably not Spirit though…

I started volunteering with my local Weed Warriors group. We tackle invasive vines and bushes that kill native trees and block out the understory for native plants. It’s really satisfying when you liberate a tree or rip out an invasive bush. I like the exercise and social connection too. Search to see if your community has a weed warrior group or other conservation group that does field work. They can have a training/certification program. Some improve hiking trails too.

Your financial situation could vary a lot in ways that may not provide good advice from internet strangers. Suggest talking with a financial advisor, see if you employer has access to one as a benefit.

For buying a house three key factors are: what is your current interest rate and potential new interest rate? Do you have stable income/recession resistant job (even if a recession may be a ways off)? How many months of an emergency fund would you have after the purchase (is that enough for your risk tolerance?)?

Timing the economy is challenging and many have lost out on trying. Even if you see bad signs for the economy, it can take years for that to have real world impacts on employment or housing values. The market can stay irrational/in denial for a long time until a crash.

Yes, I keep slowly expanding my mulched native flower bed.

If you’re in the US, Prairie Moon Nursery has a great selection of exclusively plants native to North America and ships. Live plants tend to be best in the spring, their seed mixes are excellent in late fall. And they have a lot of how to guides.

If you smoke, quitting is the number one thing you can do to improve your physical and mental health. Nicotine worsens anxiety and depression long-term by disrupting dopamine signaling in your brain. In the US you can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW or visit Lung.org for free evidence-based resources to help with quitting.

Shout out to cuttlefish

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Went back and rewatched the first few seasons of Tosh.O, that’s some good early Internet content and commentary, curated for a teenage boy audience though.

Beyond the direct plug-in kind of solar. There’s now solar generators. Basically a portable battery pack that accepts solar energy and has its own outlets, no change in laws needed.

Anker Solix is having a sale this weekend.