“band kids at their music school…” with baby dragons. What a perfect summary. The Harper Hall trilogy is also my favorite part of the Pern series. (I have to admit, though, as a teenager I fell in love with F’nor the 1st time I read Dragonquest. I loved getting glimpses of him in later books.)

(Hah. I just noticed autocorrect or my brain or something left out the word “game” from “football game” in my earlier comment. I guess Bluesky doesn’t have an edit feature? Anyhow, hope you enjoy the game.)

NTA. Their response would have been appropriate if you’d opened the conversation with an excited, “Hey! You wanna go to a football with me?”

Please repost. 💙

(p.s. I managed to get home before full darkness fell. Please understand that I have never enjoyed talking to strangers. It’s a lifelong thing that goes back decades. I’m amazed I was able to exchange ideas with this person when my fight-or-flight would normally have kicked in right away.)

Is it possible I’m the first “liberal” (I think “progressive” would be more accurate, but I’m still figuring out the nuances) he was able to see as a person and not just a construct of whatever misinformation he’s being bombarded with?

10/? …since I find it disconcerting when someone looks at their phone when we’re conversing. I mention something about bringing up my phone to guide me home since I avoid driving in the dark. He immediately breaks off the conversation, apologizes to me, and tells me to get home while there’s light.

9/? At about this point I’m looking at my phone to bring up navigation to get home. (I know my way home. I just find what I call “my little voice” with its turn-by-turn instructions feels like good company, somehow. Guess I haven’t gotten used to empty nest syndrome yet.) I apologize to him…

8/? Somehow the topic turns to “Why do all you liberals hate all us conservatives?”
I think I surprised him by answering that I didn’t hate *all* conservatives and was actually married to one. I joked that I’m the “bleeding-heart liberal” in the partnership.

No time for nuances. Twilight is here.

7/? He talked about how instead of “throwing open the borders” Biden should have done (something or other?) to address the issues in “those people’s” countries so they’d stop coming here.

Keep in mind: darkness is falling. I’m trying to figure out how to disengage gracefully.

6/? One thing I remember saying was that I was worried about the vulnerable (thinking about everyone I know with pre-existing conditions, for example).
Interestingly, he jumped immediately to “Biden’s open borders” and “millions” flooding into the country. Does he see them as “the vulnerable”?

5/? His hostility changed to something else. Curiosity? Hurt, somehow? I don’t read people well, but his hardness seemed to soften. A conversation began.

4/? But it seemed he wanted to talk. “Why do you lefties hate Trump so much?”
Astonished, I said, “I don’t hate him. I just think he’s a sad little man trying to compensate for a terrible childhood.” (I could have said much more, but remember, older woman/stranger/parking lot/getting dark.)

3/? My answer was short: “Sad.” Please note for context, the sun had already set so I was in a hurry to get home while there was still light to see by. I have trouble driving in the dark.

2/? First off, I have no stickers on my car. I guess he assumed I’m a “lefty” because of my license plate?