What field are you planning to work in once you graduate? Similarly to joining meetups focused on your hobbies, you can meet and network with like-minded people by going to meetups related to your field. I don't think it's a huge deal that you're still in school--you might connect with a great mentor and/or make inroads in your industry.

As a reader, check out local book clubs! Just about every library has them. Also, look into adult school classes. A lot of communities have community education courses for adults (for example, Chatham Adult School and SOMA Adult School) and you can meet people with similar interests by taking fun classes with them.

It's tough, I know. And it might take some time and a lot of effort to meet people who really click with you. So I say give all of those things a shot, and maybe even involve your partner in trying to be more social and meet people! Even if you go out as a couple, you might meet other couples in your demographic (and outside it...one thing about adult friendships is, age doesn't matter as much anymore. You might really hit it off with somebody who's 10 years older than you) and make "couple friends" that way, which can turn into something lovely on its own and lead to 1-1 friendships.

I was wondering what all the cranes and temporary fences and people standing at the fences, looking at the building were all about earlier this week!

yeah.

The thing I don't get, and I get it, I'm beating the deadest of dead horses here, but the cognitive dissonance between that some consider "patriotism" and actual, patriotic actions and legislation.

Think about it: what's more patriotic than helping American people live better lives? Loving your country means loving its people, right? Following this logic, you'd think supporting things like paid parental leave, universal healthcare, and living wages is patriotism. But the ones who caw the loudest about being patriots largely seem to be against these things.

I think progressive politicians need to reclaim the "patriot" label. Just lean real hard into it, how voting for policies that benefit Americans is the most patriotic thing you can do. Don't let the ones who actively want to restrict Americans' rights be the ones hoarding the patriot label.

Sojo.

Both other commenters are correct; both spas have large coed sections and single-sex changing/bath areas. But in addition to these, Sojo has coed outdoor pools and tubs.

Yep. But my comment was specifically discussing issues that predominantly affect women.

NJ. It's kind of funny.....when that Fox News bit came out that NJ is the "least patriotic" state in the country, I thought a bit about it and yeah, I'm not proud to be an American. I'm not necessarily not proud, either--I just happened to be born and live in the USA, it feels like a neutral to me.

But on a national scale, I'm proud of NJ. I'm proud that we have one of the highest qualities of life, best access to healthcare, and it's one of the best states to be a woman. We've got bodily autonomy, no pink tax, we were the 2nd state to outlaw child marriage, and stats show you're less likely to be raped here than you are in every other state.

That kind of stuff matters to me. I might be a 2nd class citizen at the federal level, but not here.

And so it dawned on me that I'm patriotic for NJ. Like legit, I'll proudly wave the buff and blue all day.

TIL about some of these!

Like women having the vote from 1776-1807

This is fantastic! I'm so glad to hear your son had a wonderful birthday party :)