weekend free-for-all – April 6-7, 2019

by Alison Green on April 6, 2019

This comment section is open for any non-work-related discussion you’d like to have with other readers, by popular demand. (This one is truly no work and no school.)

Book recommendation of the week: I’m on a Tom Rachman kick. Last week I recommended The Italian Teacher and this week I’m recommending The Imperfectionists, a strangely engrossing account of the staff of an English-language newspaper in Rome and how their lives intertwine.

* I make a commission if you use that Amazon link.

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  1. Anonymous Educator*

    Did anybody else see the MIT Digital Humanities gender in novels study? Some very interesting stuff in there.

  2. StellaBella*

    Wow, a terrific photo of the kitty and those whiskers are amazing!

    Hope everyone is going to enjoy a nice weekend, I am spending my weekend packing to move (new rental apartment) and moving next weekend! Any packing hacks you’d like to share? I know the first box of stuff should have kitchen and bathroom supplies including toilet paper, soap, dish soap etc, and cleaning supplies in case I have to clean stuff. Last thing is the cat after I have all her stuff set up in the new place. But how do you move stuff when you move? By boxes per room? By trunks? Any things I should know in terms of order? I have moved 5 times (international and local) in 11 years but still want to know if there are things I can do better and appreciate your sharing.

    Wishing you all a good weekend!

    2. Marion Ravenwood*

      Totally agree about Wallace’s amazing whiskers! He’s getting so big now!

      Re moving, I’ve only ever had to move a room rather than a whole house, so we packed by category (bedding, books, kitchen stuff etc). I think when we move next it will be by room and category (so living room becomes divided into books, electronics etc).

      The other thing I’d say – although I’m sure you already know these – is to pack one box with stuff for that night/next morning (clean clothes, pyjamas, toiletries, medications, stuff for coffee/tea/breakfast, instant dinner or the number of a takeaway etc) and to pack as far in advance as you can (starting with things you don’t use much or aren’t in season, like Christmas decorations). Hope the move goes well!

      1. StellaBella*

        Thanks for the tips, indeed the next morning thing is key, I will organise for that, for sure. :) I have spent 2 hours so far today and am nearly sorted out in terms of stray things going into trunks so far. Am going to go thru books now for donations, already have a bag of clothes and a bag of kitchen stuff to donate. :)

      2. OhNo*

        Agree on packing a special box/bag for the next day. Last time I moved, I put enough clothes, toiletries, etc. for a week in the most brightly-colored bag I own.

        That made it easy to find the bag once all my stuff was unloaded, and it meant I had some extra time to unpack my stuff properly, rather than rushing because I needed more toothpaste or something.

    3. LDN Layabout*

      Us your suitcases!

      I know that sounds…basic, but when I planned my packing I always sort of forgot I had these great things with WHEELS on them. Now I try and pack the stuff I’m most likely to use straight away in them (work clothes etc) so they’re dealt with first (after furniture etc)

    4. Bagpuss*

      By room. And label the boxes . Also think about weight and remember to put heavy stuff in smaller boxes.

      When you get to the new place, unpack bedroom first and make the bed, (and put up curtains if applicable). That way, you can go to bed and get a decent night’s rest even if you haven’t finished unpacking.

      1. StellaBella*

        Good advice. I will need to buy a bed the day before I move, and get it set up the evening I move in. :) So will make sure I pack the linens in a place that makes sense.

          1. StellaBella*

            aha yes. this apartment I will move to has only a shower so will need one I think, cannot remember the look of the shower stall if it has a door or place for a curtain!

    5. Mae Fuller*

      This may all be obvious, but: yes pack by room, and make sure you label all the boxes with the room they need to go in. I don’t worry so much about labeling actual content except for things you’ll need to find quickly, and you probably want to keep them separate anyway.
      Use small boxes for books, they are much much heavier than you think!
      I think my top tip from experience (and this might just be me) is not to be too perfectionist. Packing takes a long time, mixed boxes are not the end of the world, and you can still sort and donate things at the new house, possibly while you unpack at your leisure.

      1. StellaBella*

        Good points too on the mixed boxes. And yes for books. Donating some more today before I have to move them all.

    6. Not So NewReader*

      My first sweep through each room is for the non-essentials. This would mean decorative items, seasonal items (that are not in season), seldom used items and things that only have sentimental value. I label the boxes according to what room they came out of, being aware the items may live in a different room in the new place. But if it is labeled by room from my old place, I can find them easier. (may/may not work for you). I have tried estimating where I wanted them in the new place and that got too hard and too encumbered after a while.

      This first sweep also involves establishing/clearing areas to put things that are ready to go. I also try to dust things off as I put them in the box. It makes unpacking a bit easier. But towards the end I stop dusting and just pack.

      If I am not moving far and will be handling a lot of the stuff myself, then I pack soft things into garbage bags. This can be pillows, bedding, stuffed animals etc. I use these soft bags of stuff as spacers in the truck to keep furniture from banging against each other while in transit. The trick here is here is I have to watch what I throw out because I can’t grab a black bag and assume it’s garbage, I make sure to double check what I toss.

      I do keep a donation box or bag with me as I pack. Am laughing- sometimes I catch myself thinking, “I don’t want to move this thing to one more place!” And out it goes. I have gotten rid of ugly furniture using this method.

      For me, food is not a big deal UNTIL I decide that I am really hungry. whoops. I wised up and made a crock pot of something to last two or three days while I moved and unpacked. This made dinner so much easier. And helped to make a modest reduction in hidden moving costs. Freezing a couple meals can be helpful, also.

      Speaking of hidden moving costs, the new place always seems to need Things. I wait until I get a list of several items before I go to the store. Less trips to the store means less unplanned purchases which is a weak point for me. Ditto for ordering online, I make myself wait for a short list of items rather than searching for one thing.

      I do have several pieces of small furniture and large vases that I am fond of. If it is possible, I prefer to pack these in my own car and take full responsibility for them, rather than risking someone else damaging them. (I can damage them on my own without anyone’s help. I seem to know how. sigh.) You can use your car as a place to put the things that you absolutely cannot lose track of. My fire safe goes in my car, too.

      1. Auntie Social*

        MOVING HORROR STORY. I was scheduled to be on the other side of the country the week before we were to move. I was always the organized one so I gave my husband options about packing—you can color code each room (gave him colored stickers for each box), or label each one. He blew me off like “everybody knows this stuff, why are you treating me like a child”, so I let it go. When I called home to check on things he said he opted for labeling each box, no color coding. So I fly home to utter chaos at the new house, and learned that he had labeled ONE box from each room, and marked all the other boxes “ditto”. I had 10 labeled boxes, and 160 “ditto” boxes. It took us weeks to find things–every time I opened a box it seemed to be Christmas decorations! I had also told him that we all needed an overnight bag of clothes and one suitcase of bed linens, and he hadn’t done that. I had to take the kids to Macys to buy 2 outfits because their clothes boxes weren’t turning up. I realized then I should have left the kids in charge because dad really was dumb as meat.
        So no matter how bad your move is—it could be worse!!!

        1. fposte*

          From a distance, this is just hilarious. I’m picturing him carefully labeling 100 random boxes with “ditto.”

            1. valentine*

              Hm, is there an “ex-” missing?

              I did a complete handwritten inventory and simply numbered the boxes. Today, I would also make a spreadsheet, but the paper was fine.

          3. Dinopigeon*

            Having dealt with people like this, I’m 100% his logic was, “All the boxes from this room will be packed onto the truck together, so as long as one of them is labeled, we’ll be able to associate all the others with it.” Not understanding that a) that isn’t always how the truck is packed, and b) there will be no clear boundary between one group of boxes and the next.

            Some people just have zero intuitive ability to think ahead and consider multiple consequences of their actions.

          1. Myrin*

            Hey, can you maybe tone it down a little? It’s okay to disagree but this comes across as really hostile!

        3. LizB*

          OMG! Was he at least remorseful/did he recognize his mistake? That is… impressively bad.

        4. Michaela Westen*

          What has helped me when moving is labeling the boxes with details. So not just “kitchen” it says “Kitchen – pots and pans, potholders, teakettle”.
          For me this made unpacking much easier.
          However, I’ve found the stress of moving makes me so sick I think next time I’ll have movers do the packing and unpacking. I’m single with a studio apartment so it won’t cost a *whole* lot…

    7. Pharmgirl*

      If there’s any area in your new home that you can designate to put boxes, I would just stack all non-essential boxes there. First thing you’d want to do is unpack all the essentials – bedding, shower stuff, breakfast stuff for next day, etc. Then you can go through the other boxes when you have the time. You want to make sure they’re labelled with what room they came from, but I’ve always found it easier to keep everything in one area, vs having boxes in each room. It just makes it a lot easier compared to tripping over boxes everywhere.

      I’ve personally found it helpful to not just label what room the box came from, but what was in it (not super detailed, but just something like (living room – electronics, or kitchen – baking supplies). Some sort of trigger so I know whether I need to open the box sooner or later.

      I just moved last week, and still have boxes to go through! First thing I did was set up my bed, daily stuff for the bathroom, and the kitchen so I could cook vs. ordering takeout. Clothing I put away as I use it, and I’ll probably spend this weekend putting away books, decorations, etc. Good luck with the move!

      1. StellaBella*

        great advice and good luck unpacking, to you! I have mini labels on most boxes now like you suggest and it has helped. :)

    8. Venus*

      I use paper towels to pack kitchen things. They are soft, recyclable (or reusable), and don’t require washing everything afterward. This is probably less of a ‘hack’ now that people don’t have newspapers to use for this.

      1. DietCokeHead*

        I was coming in here to make the same comment about paper towels! I buy a few cheap rolls of paper towels and use that to pack all my dishes. Then when I unpack, I put all the paper towels into a box and use them for cleaning.

    9. CoffeeforLife*

      I like to use a garbage bag to pack the closet stuff while still hanging. You use the trash bag like a garment bag and all of your hanging items are still on hangers. Stack the bags in a moving box. Now when you unpack, you just pull out a large bag and hang! Takes 5 minutes to set up your hanging stuff, it’ll all in the same order as before. **lots of pictures if you google**

      1. StellaBella*

        good idea for sure. I have packed my closet in one trunk and two suitcases, but I do like this idea.

      2. Plum*

        I second the garbage bags but first I rubber-band the hangers together with heavy duty rubber-bands before I slide on the garbage bag so that they don’t slip out. Especially if you’re hand carrying them from place to place. And I agree with getting the bed and bathroom/shower set up first. If you can get the kitchen done next, at least dishes, silverware, glasses, coffee, filters and coffeemaker, the next morning will be good. And I agree with the below about divided boxes from the liquor store, not only are they good for glassware, and vases but also for spice bottles. If you need bubble-wrap, the self-adhesive kind, although pricey, is great because there’s no need to tape up the item, so wrapping goes fast.

    10. Cartographical*

      The phone camera can be your friend — the last two times I moved we had to renovate after moving so we didn’t unpack right away. Instead of cataloging reference books, I took pictures as I went with a numbered post-it somewhere in frame, then taped it to the box. It helped when I couldn’t get them all unpacked before I started work again. I also did it for the pantry. I made albums in Google Photos by room so we didn’t have to peek in the boxes.

      Also, if you’re going to be storing any boxes before unpacking, mark the end or side (pick one and stick to it) so you’re not pulling down boxes to see the writing on the top. Make sure people know to stack them with the writing facing out. Made that mistake once, never again.

      If you have time to do it and you’re moving in-town, having a couple days of food and snacks (even just taking a trip to the bakery/deli/market for sandwich supplies and donuts) that you can move over first thing in a cooler, like packing a weekend-long picnic, is a huge help.

      If we are moving 1:1 (2br, 1.5bath to the same) I pack by room and move by room. When we upgraded, I packed by the rooms of the future house and had taped off “virtual rooms” in the dining area where I put the boxes. Then the truck was packed with the least important rooms going in first — first in, last out.

      Also, get any refills you need and pack your medicine cabinet and move it over with your food & personal supplies, it’s a good time to check your expiry dates and make sure you’re not missing anything. The stuff that goes in our car is the cooler & picnic basket, the lockbox with all our documents, the toiletries and medicine, bottled water, a suitcase with a couple days clothing, cleaning supplies, and the pet supplies.

      1. Lucy*

        Similar), but equally digital. Don’t label boxes in detail, number them. Use an Excel spreadsheet or similar to catalogue what is in each box.

        At destination, you can ctrl-f “crockpot” and be directed straight to box #25.

        It’s mildly time consuming but a definite case of “a stitch in time”.

        1. StellaBella*

          these are both really well thought out ideas and I like them both, thanks, Cartographical and Lucy!

    11. Karen from Finance*

      For books, I’ve found it’s easier to use the suitcases with wheels to carry them, rather than the small boxes, because they’re so heavy.

    12. Not A Manager*

      It sounds like you are not using movers. Are you having friends help you, or are you moving with another person? If so, my advice is to move all the kitchen boxes into the kitchen immediately, and literally unpack them while movers/friends/roommate are moving in other items.

      In my experience, the box-to-content ratio is very high for kitchen stuff (a few pots or one gadget can take up an entire box) and most of the stuff is easy to put SOMEWHERE in the kitchen even though you’ll reorganize it later. This gets a huge number of boxes out of your way immediately, and makes the rest of the unpacking seem less daunting.

      Do take the time to break down the boxes and get them out in your rental truck or however you’re moving.

      Conversely, while it’s easy to leave books in boxes forever and their box-to-content ratio is low, they are also very easy to just bang onto your shelves, and you’re down a bunch of boxes. Again, reorganize later, but in my experience just getting the stuff out of boxes ASAP is key. (I don’t do this on my first day, though!)

      1. StellaBella*

        yes, moving myself, by myself and my cat, who is not much help. :) good thinking tho on the kitchen stuff.

    13. The Messy Headed Momma*

      Liquor store boxes are the best for just dropping in your glassware, vases, kitchen utensils! No wrapping required & the boxes tend to be very sturdy.

    14. Koala dreams*

      If you have many books, pack them in smaller boxes so the boxes won’t get too heavy to move. There are special boxes for books, or you could just pack them in any small boxes or bags.

      In addition to normal wrapping paper and packing peanuts you can use clothes and textiles (towels, t-shirts…) as cushioning when packing fragile things.

      I’m not sure if it’s too late for this, but the thing I always wish I had done before moving is this: If you are planning on getting rid of anything from your house, do it before you move! Decluttering, donating, recycling, anything like that.

      1. StellaBella*

        yes I have been pulling stuff out and today donated clothes and books and tomorrow will drop off some kitchen things and more books.

    15. just a random teacher*

      I have a ton of paperback books, and I have found the best boxes for them are the boxes that cases of wine come in from wineries. They are sturdy, designed for heavy things, and not too heavy to lift when full of books. They also tend to fit paperbacks pretty well.

      More general tips: I always have a grocery sack full of disposable plates, glasses, cutlery, ziplock bags, and paper towels so I can drink water and eat food before the kitchen is unpacked. I also tend to throw in a cookie sheet, a cutting board, and a knife these days to give myself more food prep options. If I had to do it again, I’d also have a fridge thermometer in this sack – it’s not that you need it immediately, it’s that last time mine got packed in the “special occasion kitchen items” priority level and I ended up buying a new one before getting that deep in my unpacking because I suspected my fridge was too warm. I have another sack full of basic cleaning supplies, including dish soap and hand soap, and toilet paper, as well as a few hand towels. I also bring a couple of folding chairs or camp chairs so there will be some place to sit down, and maybe a folding table depending on how long it will take my regular table to get there. (If it’s a multi-day local move where I’m cleaning the new place before the day the movers will come, I also get someone to help me move my futon over first thing. It can be slept on or sat on while the rest of my furniture isn’t there yet.)

      The first thing I do is make sure there is at least one functional and clean-enough-to-use bathroom, and stock it with hand soap, toilet paper, and a hand towel. I then set up my disposable drinking glasses, plates, and such in the kitchen. After that, I can “camp” in the house while dealing with everything else, but I need a place to sit, water to drink, and restroom access in order to have coping skills. (I usually order a pizza as the first meal at the new place. Leftovers can be heated in the oven using the cookie sheet if you don’t have your microwave unpacked yet.)

      Colored duct tape is a good way to color code boxes. It’s nicer than the little dots because you can see it from further away and it’s less likely to fall off of the boxes in transit. I usually put the tape on an upper corner so it can be seen from two sides. I like to use green for “stuff I’ll want right away” and orange for “stuff I won’t need for a while” as my color codes, then pick a room as the temporary home of all orange boxes and ignore that pile until all the green boxes are dealt with. If I did it again at this point, I think I’d have a third color for books, since they need to wait on bookcases and should all be clustered in whichever room the bookcases will be mostly going in. People who don’t live surrounded by books probably don’t need that particular third category, though.

      1. just a random teacher*

        Oh, I also sort clothes into “top ten outfits that I plan to wear a lot” and everything else. (10 gives you a solid week’s worth of clothes, an 8th outfit to wear while washing the other 7, a 9th outfit in case laundry day ends up shifting a day late, and a 10th in case something else goes wrong. I find 8 is the minimum, that 9th comes in handy, and there’s a point of diminishing returns after 10. If you have small children, I would recommend more outfits.) The 10 outfits are a set of clothes that I’m willing to rotate through for as long as a month while the rest of the clothes aren’t unpacked and put away yet, so I can focus on unpacking kitchen and office stuff rather than clothing. Similarly, I set aside enough sheets, hand towels, and bath towels to get through a month (assuming regular laundry) and the rest can wait so I don’t have to unpack and organize the new linen closet until the kitchen and office are under control.

        Also, if you’re moving in the spring, if at all possible get your income taxes filed before you move. Unpacking tax records is a great thing to not have to be in a hurry about, and you’re less likely to accidentally misplace or recycle a document you need that way.

    16. That Girl From Quinn's House*

      If you’re in the US, Home Depot has the cheapest prices for moving supplies like boxes, etc. They even sell a moving kit online that qualifies for free shipping to your door. I regret not doing that when I lived in the city without a car and had to pay for a Zipcar to get boxes several times.

    17. shoe Ruiner*

      I have moved a lot and these are my tips. Most important things when I get into a new place: shower curtain, hand soap, hand towel, tp, and bedding. So I pack those together.
      I actually don’t pack by room. I pack by “how soon will I want this.” I come up with three tiers (right away, couple weeks, no rush) and assign each one a duct tape color, and tape around the side of the side of the box so I can see if when boxes are stacked. Then I write a detailed list on each box of what’s in it.

    18. CastIrony*

      I saw a hack somewhere that instead of removing clothes from hangers, to just stuff them into big trash bags (Make the hangers stick out!) so that when you arrive to your new place, you can just hang them up in your new closet!

    19. RUKiddingMe*

      The best thing I ever did was invest in those large, clear (so you can see what’s inside), storage tubs. About 20-ish. It wasnt cheap exactly, probably about 125.00, plus a few smaller (½ size maybe?) ones for stuff I would need *right now.*

      1. As I said, you can see inside without opening them.
      2. Less cardboard, less carbon footprint, less to deal with at the end of moving in.
      3. Stackable…
      4. Easier to grasp than s box.
      5. Stack easily in moving van. Especially nice if you ate doing the U-Haul thing.
      6. Can be used for actual storage.

      Generally speaking also is that there’s no need for tape or labeling and you can take your time because you know that “that box is just stuff that will end up on a closet shelf eventually,” so no need to rush to get to it. You can take your time.

      You will still need bubble wrap and packing paper for stuff that needs it, but the overall cost if packing supplies is less after the initial investment.

  3. Princess Deviant*

    So I post here often but I’m going anonymous for this.
    I think I have ASD. I’ve thought I might be on the spectrum for years now, but I’m becoming more convinced the older I get. I just turned 45. I had a revelation this week because I was reading stuff about it on Twitter for autism awareness week, and I though ‘holy hell that *is* me’. It’s made me do a lot of crying.

    I’m not going to go to my doctor just yet… nerves? Shame even? Scared mainly she’ll dismiss me. I’m quite “high- functioning” (I hate that phrase though, it makes it sound like I’m passing for ‘normal’ which I do do) but I’m just so exhausted all the time because really having to do all this mental work is too much.

    Has anyone had any experience of being diagnosed as an adult?
    If so, did you meet resistance from the medical community because you “don’t seem like you’re autistic?”
    How did you overcome this?

    1. Awful Annie*

      I was diagnosed with ASD as a 38 year old woman. I keep it entirely private.

      My GP was the one that put me forward for diagnosis, after a period of severe depression. The diagnosis was done at a local clinic which regularly diagnoses adults and women with autism – we’re in a geek University town.

      The diagnosis helps me accept and be more forgiving of my needs, but I think those needs are pretty idiosyncratic, so you have to work them out for yourself. I do actively schedule in quiet time to rest, accept that occasionally I’ll crash, etc.

      Should I have a recurrence of depression, it will probably be useful for psychiatrists to know I’m not NT.

      However, I don’t think I would have my present job if I was open about my diagnosis – there’s too much stereotyping.

      1. Princess Deviant*

        This is *incredibly* helpful, thank you.
        I’m sorry that you don’t feel able to tell your employer, but I understand that you have to keep yourself safe.

        May I ask what your family’s reaction was? Were they unsurprised, supportive? (I am anxious about telling my family.) Of course, please don’t answer if this is too personal a question.

        1. valentine*

          If it helps, I’ve read that “high-functioning” is not a thing. There are various traits an autistic may or may not have, but the idea of a hierarchy is ableist.

        2. Awful Annie*

          Well, your parents will be asked to fill out a form about your childhood, as part of diagnosis. I didn’t see what they filled out, so don’t know much about it. I would say the difficult thing for a family is that since ASD is genetic, you’re effectively diagnosing multiple members of a family, which may or may not be appreciated, and may or may not be accurate (I.e. I suspect people will now say ‘oh, well of course Dad is autistic too, and so is niece’). We don’t talk about it, so I don’t know how they take it. I feel rather bad about pushing everyone towards a diagnosis of a condition about which there’s a lot of stereotyping and prejudice.

          In terms of diagnosis, there’s an AQ questionnaire that you’ll be asked to fill out. The widespread AQ questionnaire is designed expecting that the taker is male / has traditionally male interests. There’s an updated one which aims to include both traditionally male and traditionally female interests and roles. It’s a definite improvement, although it’s still not ideal. For example, there are sets of questions around systematisation of possessions where they’re guessing what sorts of possessions you’re systematising and how. You have to read between the lines somewhat.

          When I did the (original) questionnaire I returned it to them with my annotations grouping all the questions into themes and with cross notes about the lack of clarity of phrasing / gender stereotyping / failure to control for masking. I suspect they just picked up the scribbled-on questionnaire and went ‘yep, got one here.’

          Hope that’s helpful. Do ask me any other questions that come to mind.

          1. Princess Deviant*

            I get screened with a AQ10 which is a shortened version of the AQ screening tool (out of 50?) by my GP.

            If I score over 6 then the GP can make a referral to the adult autism diagnostic team.

            For the assessment, you can take a person with you to also be interviewed to corroborate your childhood experiences, but you don’t have to.

            Are you in the UK?

            1. Awful Annie*

              Yep! UK here. My GP didn’t bother with the cut down initial set of questions as it was her recommendation.

              I think when you’re a ‘grown-up’, they recognise it may be more practical to get parents in their 70s to do a questionnaire than come in person?

          2. Close Bracket*

            > When I did the (original) questionnaire I returned it to them with my annotations grouping all the questions into themes and with cross notes about the lack of clarity of phrasing / gender stereotyping / failure to control for masking.

            lol, that was totally me. I learned later that that is a spectrum behavior.

            btw, while autism is genetic, it is not always inherited. There are so many genes that can be involved, and sometimes it is caused by a mutation. So while autism can be heritable, a diagnosis of a person is not always a diagnosis of a family.

    2. Jeanne*

      Me too. The psychologist I am working with following “treatment resistant” depression and suicidal thoughts agrees. A video came across my desk about work stuff and when I watched it I was OMG!!! that is me. I cried. And cried and ranted. This is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfOHnt4PMFo
      I struggle with a lot of things other people seem to take for granted. I have spent my whole life trying to be the person I think other people want me to be. I’ve struggled in jobs where I have had controlling managers and excelled in ones when my manager has been relaxed and given me goals but no processes. I have very few friends.
      My psychologist’s comments have been around “what difference does knowing this about you make?” What difference does it make to you and what difference would it make to people around you? And actually, there would be no difference, because I haven’t and won’t tell anyone. I don’t trust that there wouldn’t be professional repercusssions.
      I’m 55.

      1. Princess Deviant*

        Thank you for this resource. I identified a lot with large parts of it. He has really articulated some aspects of it for me that I would otherwise find difficult to explain so I am going to make notes for me to use when speaking to my doctor, which I’ve decided to do next week.

      2. Pinky Pie*

        I think this video helped me understand why my youngest loves Mr. Rogers so much- he provides the scripts for her. We had a melt down based on a change in schedule, change in environment and then her sister sat where she wanted to sit. It finished with us outside of the restaurant and signing to her about emotions, repeating what she heard Mr. Rogers say.

        I saw so much of me and my girls in the video.

    3. Red Reader the Adulting Fairy*

      I peg really high on the screening tools, both the official ones and the informal type posts I think you’re talking about, but I’m not sure I want to jump through the hoops for a formal diagnosis, because I’m not sure what it would actually change about anything.

      1. Princess Deviant*

        I’ve done the official screening tools online, but some points (e.g. lack of imagination) didn’t make sense until I read a series of posts on Twitter by someone who actually has autism and every were able to explain how that manifested in *his* life and I was able to relate.

        A diagnosis for me would make a difference to me, that’s why I want it. I like what Awful Annie said, about being more forgiving of her needs and understanding them more because of it.

        1. Red Reader the Adulting Fairy*

          Yep, same. (@Mykola’s, by any chance? That’s the one that got me thinking again last night, so if you haven’t read it yet, recommended!)

          Sorry, wasn’t intending to come across as discouraging you from getting a diagnosis. I meant that more as, it’s not something I myself have an inclination toward at this point, but I’m curious about other folks’ experiences in case there’s an aspect or benefit I haven’t considered.

          1. Princess Deviant*

            Yes it was excellent wasn’t it!
            No need to apologise, I should say sorry as I was a bit short. I’m feeling a bit sensitive right now!

            Shall we decide that whatever’s online is hard to read tone into, so we’ll take it that the other meant the best, and not take offence? :)

        2. only acting normal*

          Diagnosis doesn’t require you to hit all the points (e.g. lack of imagination), just a certain amount in each category. There are two ways to look at the “spectrum” part of ASD:
          1) a spectrum from low to high functioning (which a lot of autistic people will tell you is not that helpful or downright misleading).
          2) a typically autistic “spiky” set of abilities: analogous to the physics sense of emission or absorption spectrum (check out wikipedia).
          e.g. I’m awesome at abstract thought and systemising, have a spectacular situational memory, but my executive function is spotty relying on strict routines, my sense of time is poor, my social skills are below average, my stims are there but subtle/socially acceptable, and my sensory sensitivity is downright disabling –> I appear “high functioning”/NT-passing but the stress of doing so is significant.

          1. Princess Deviant*

            Thanks, I can definitely relate to the the second description, the spiky version.

    4. Anonymous for this - sorry!*

      Building on Princess Deviant’s comment, I have a question : is it possible to “grow out of autism”? I am going anonymous for this, because I am afraid my question is stupid or that people will find it offensive, but I am truly asking it in good faith. I am in my late thirties, and would probably not test on the autism spectrum now, though I definitely have some traits. However, I am quite certain that I would have tested on the spectrum as a child – I had all the textbook caracteristics of high-functioning ASD, including very telling ones. I was never diagnosed because no-one in my environment had ever heard of high functioning autism (though children made fun of me at school by calling me an autist). I had a very miserable childhood and youth, but things started getting better in my early twenties, and I feel I kind of ‘grew out’ of my autistic traits – I didn’t work on specific behaviors or thought patterns, I just feel like over time I have become way more “normal”? I honestly don’t feel I would test as ASD now. Is that even possible?

      1. Not So NewReader*

        NOT an answer, just a comment: Your post here has reeally tugged at my heart strings. I very much hope you find answers. Life is hard and internal struggles can run very deep. I was just having a similar convo with a good friend. Her husband never found his help. Keep searching, never stop looking. People care.

      2. anon for this*

        I would say it is definitely possible to learn how to adjust! The earlier kids with autism get assistance/help, the better chance they have of improving their level of functioning, so it stands to reason that someone high functioning would feel like they’ve moved off it. Does it solve the underlying issue? No idea, but it is up to you if that matters since you don’t feel the effects anymore. Even if you didn’t actively work on changing things, if you tend to be observant or have spent time trying to understand human behaviors, it probably had a subconscious effect on your own actions, which in turn affects your mental pathways.

        Personal story: I have a sibling with ASD and I did not find out until I was in college. They got a ton of help starting at a young age and no one would be able to tell today. Just seems like a person with some personality quirks. Their quirks would never read as high-functioning ASD, because they were diagnosed lower on the scale and their function came through hard work by themselves, their parents, and their teachers. As a successful adult, taking the test would probably having a confusing result since their function far exceeds what was believed as their potential. Just to give you an example of how people can change.

      3. I hate coming up with usernames*

        Autism has to do with the way your brain functions. While people learn to adapt to it, that’s not the same as growing out of it. Honestly, I think you likely never had ASD in the first place. That doesn’t mean it’s a stupid question! But I think it’s part of the reason people need to be careful about self diagnosing. It’s easy to identify with parts of a video or checklist and say OMG that sounds like me, when in reality you just have some quirks that are similar but you’re not actually on the spectrum. Think of OCD; most people will find things on an OCD checklist that they can identify with. But that doesn’t mean they necessarily have OCD.

        I know some of the comments here say self diagnosing is valid, but I’d like to push back on that. My son is on the ASD, and I commonly hear about how either he doesn’t seem autistic, or how really we’re all at least a little bit autistic in some ways, so it shouldn’t matter. To him, this feels like an erasure of a big part of who he is. And while those comments are well meaning, a big part of them come from people making inaccurate assumptions about ASD based on things they read online. An official diagnosis does mean something.

        1. Princess Deviant*

          “My son is on the ASD, and I commonly hear about how either he doesn’t seem autistic, or how really we’re all at least a little bit autistic in some ways, so it shouldn’t matter. To him, this feels like an erasure of a big part of who he is…An official diagnosis does mean something.”

          Thank you for saying this. I’m sorry that your son and you have been on the receiving end of others’ ignorance

      4. Cartographical*

        First, it’s a spectrum (a whole array of spectrums, really) and everyone experiences it differently. You might just be closer to the neurotypical end. Some people tick at least a few of the boxes for ASD, or have a half-tick in some of the boxes, and it can show up more under some conditions and not on others. Or you may just have a lifestyle that is more supportive of where you are in the spectrum, such that it’s not as strenuous to fit a neurotypical profile as it might be if there were different demands on you. Getting past the strictures of the educational system and neurotypical family life and the social uncertainties of youth can get you to a place where being you isn’t as hard as it used to be.

        In my experience, it’s also possible to adapt, absolutely. But there is also a cost to the adaptation for many of us. Many people (according to my therapist, who specializes in treating neuroatypical teens and adults) hit a point where “the wheels fall off” because they’ve exhausted themselves trying to be normal. Parenthood, change of job, empty nest, menopause, illness, and other changes in circumstance can tip the balance such that you do tire faster or the demands of life exceed your adaptations. If you find yourself feeling like that might be happening in the future, please be kinder to yourself than I was to myself and don’t just assume you’re failing because of a lack of character. The support systems of the ASD community and the advice of those who live on the spectrum are there for you if you ever need it.

      5. Another Manic Monday*

        You don’t “grow out of Autism” but you will get better at camouflaging and pass as “normal” as you get older. It’s also possible that you are not aware of how much different your perception of the world differ from the norm. I had no idea that my perception of the world was “not normal” and that most people didn’t have the same kind of struggles that I had. I was constantly beating myself up for not being able to do things that seemed to be easy for everyone else no matter how hard I tried. I kept this up until I completely broke down at the age of 41. I had been completely burned out by subconsciously trying to pass and fit into something that wasn’t made for me.

        My perception of myself have changed drastically since I got my diagnosis five years ago. I would have never tested “positive for ASD” doing the online tests before I got my official diagnosis, but today I am more in tune and aware of my own feelings and test very high when I do the very same tests.

        1. Princess Deviant*

          “It’s also possible that you are not aware of how much different your perception of the world differ from the norm.”
          Yes^ I think this is true.

          Do you share your dx with others? How do they react to it?

          1. Another Manic Monday*

            I do share my dx with others, but I try to keep it on the down-low and not constantly making it an issue. I did write an article about it in a newsletter for my agency last year during disability awareness month, so most of my coworkers knows about it unless they couldn’t be bothered reading the newsletter. I’m currently pursuing reasonable accommodations at work as there’s certain things that I struggle with.

            Almost everyone at my current job is accepting and welcoming, although not all of them fully understand the implications. My last job wasn’t as accepting as they pretended to be, but they was also the cause for the mental breakdown that resulted in my diagnosis in the first place.

            1. Princess Deviant*

              It’s good to hear that your current job is accepting.
              And I want to say thanks – you telling me this has prompted stuff for me.

              I’ve not been coping well and my employers have already made some reasonable adjustments for me, with my GP’s full knowledge and support. I’m beginning to see how I can use this to support me when I go to see my GP to ask for a dx.

      6. Dinopigeon*

        Stress is well-known to exacerbate autistic behaviors, and make it more difficult to mask (mirror neurotypical behaviors). So if your life is less stressful and more routine now than it was as a child, it makes sense that you would feel some subsidence in symptoms. As autistic people mature, we also consciously learn more behaviors (particularly social behaviors) that other people navigate by intuition, which also makes things a little easier.

        A lot of people go the opposite direction- with nobody to provide external structure, and increasing responsibilities, autism becomes more pronounced in adulthood. This is partially why so many women are diagnosed as adults; a lot of what is unfortunately expected of adult women in western culture is very difficult for someone on the spectrum to manage.

        1. Another Manic Monday*

          I pursued a career that ended up becoming more and more difficult to cope with each promotion and increased responsibilities. I ended up being promoted into a position where my supervisors’ expectations of me was considerable higher than my ability to perform or sustain for a long period of time. I stepped up the promotion ladder as a high-performing specialist working by myself, but ended up in a position where I was supposed to supervise and mentor other people instead of doing the work I am good at. I was ill-suited for such a position and was mistreated when I was unable to meet their expectations which resulted in overwhelming anxiety, major depression, and total burnout.

      7. anon on saturdays*

        I have wondered this too, and have read the diversity of responses below. Here are reasons why I think I have less obvious ASD behavior now than when I was a kid: 1) I have less anxiety socially because I know more about what other people are thinking about (themselves) and how many figs I have to give (many fewer) and I have figured out more subroutines for what makes people happy (small talk no longer a trial, but an almost-comfortable algorithm). 2) I’ve designed my life to support me — live where I grew up, work in mathematics, don’t commute by car, have plenty of downtime scheduled, understand my sensory responses better. In my life today, knitting furiously while obsessively working through an algorithm or piece of code is just normal!

      8. Anonymous for this - sorry!*

        Thank you all for your answers! Since I posted yesterday, I went down a rabbit hole of reading up on autism and ASD, and have now, already, a different perception of my initial post. First of all : how the hell wasn’t I diagnosed as a kid? I had so many typical – as in boy-typical (I am a woman) – traits of high-functioning autism/Aspergers I was almost a textbook case! Of course, this question is rhetorical : thrity years ago, high-functioning autism was not a thing were I lived, and even if it had been, my parents were not the type to believe in it – depression is a character flaw for them. Sigh. Secondly, I have way more autistic traits as an adult than I initially thought – I have just learnt about loads of stuff that I just thought weird quirks of mine that could actually be ASD related! I am just apparently pretty good at coping and masking. So now, to join the gang of people up here wondering about whether to get a diagnosis… I am feeling a bit overwhelmed at the realisation.

        1. Arya Parya*

          My advice: taken your time. It was about last July it was suggested to me that I might be on the spectrum. It was overwhelming and I didn’t really know what to do with it. Would getting a diagnosis help? Was it worth going through all the trouble getting one? I’ve been
          mostly doing okay without any help.

          I took some time mulling this over and decided to pursue a diagnosis last December. I figured that I could use some help with certain things when the stress of the end of the year and all those holidays got to me.

          So give it some time and let it all land first and then figure out why you may or may not want a diagnosis.

    5. MatKnifeNinja*

      The biggest obstacles my cousin came for getting an ASD diagnosis is finding a decent clinician that will diagnosis anyone over 25. The second is insurance/costs.

      If you live by a university with a medical school, finding a tester is easier. If you live on the coasts, it’s easier compared to where I live.

      The biggest push back insurance will give you is the diagnosis gives you no more services than you have now. This is true for my cousin. Had he’d been 10, he could have had OT/PT and speech therapy. Maybe a life skills class. At 50, it was, “That’s a nice data point, but all we can offer you is mental health services.”

      Call your local/state Autism society for a referral. It cuts down the posers that say they “test” for Autism, but just take a verbal history.
      The specific tests showed my cousin how big a scatter he has with cognitive skills. Some tests were off the charts high, others were very low. His process speed is nil according to the tests.

      I helped my cousin get tested. I called the state Autism society for referrals and got verbal referrals from parents of ASD kids (hey, it was a start). Then you call and call and call because not everyone tests adults. You find one that does, but takes no insurance (common in my area). My cousin private paid.

      We didn’t ask his GP because 1) he has no clue who to refer out. He deals with adults, and still doesn’t think my cousin has ASD. 2) Paying privately meant no referrals needed.

      My cousin is now on SSDI and the “Aspie Burnout” is real. He said the diagnosis makes him feel less like a failure, when compared to all his friends with high paying, socially acceptable jobs. Getting bathed, dressed, and just dealing with humanity can be like climbing Everest for him.

      His clinician said had my cousin had minimally language skills before age 4, he would have diagnosed him with level II Autism. That is heartbreaking because it means he has to try even harder to pass.

      Good luck!

      1. MatKnifeNinja*

        I know I wrote a book, but you asked about family members accepting the diagnosis.

        Remember my cousin was 50 at the time (8 years ago), and his parents were in their mid 70s.

        Neither parent accepts the diagnosis. Both filled out a family history form, and it was a true work of fiction. Two sibs filled out the forms, I did and so did another aunt. All of ours collaborated compared to his parents.

        The diagnosis made no difference how is sibs treat him now. They are bitter about how my cousin’s behaviors over ran everything in the home. The meltdowns and screaming were a huge part of their home growing up. They think he was just a spoiled beast, and had to get his way. Every family vacation photo has my cousin with tear streaked face, because you take family photos at Disneyland.

        (Take an overtired child with ASD to a crowded, hot, sensory overloading place and see how that works out.)

        Families are all different. Some find comfort that there “is a reason” things happened the way they did. Others don’t believe it. Yet others believe it and don’t care. They are still mad.

        1. Princess Deviant*

          Thank you for sharing your and your cousin’s story.

          I’m in the UK. I’ve just checked my work’s health insurance and as I suspected it doesn’t cover the ‘tests’ (I don’t even know what they’d be). However, I am still covered by the NHS so I can see my GP for free. I’m just nervous about going. She knows me well, I’ve been her patient for years.

          She can do a mini screening then refer me to a diagnosing team – if she thinks it’s warranted. This is the bit I’m extremely anxious about.

          I really like the idea of contacting the national autism society so I shall do that.

          1. Tau*

            This is a single data point, but I’ve had fantastic experiences with the NAS! I used to see a caseworker of theirs on a weekly basis during uni and she was amazing. And although I didn’t go that route (I got helped to diagnosis by disability services at uni and got a referral to a local place that specialised in diagnosing autistic adults), I know they have resources around getting a diagnosis.

    6. Anonymous Person on the Web*

      I’m in the same position as you actually… I’ve started following more and more people on Twitter who are autistic and seeing a lot of myself in their stories. I got a book recommendation from someone recently too – it’s called “I think I might be Autistic: A guide to Autism Spectrum Disorders Diagnosis and Self Discovery for Adults” – its’ a quick read but it goes through a lot of the diagnosis criteria and then walks you through how people get diagnosed.

    7. Cartographical*

      First, I’ve been there, it’s a whole rollercoaster, isn’t it? Second, self-diagnosis is not inherently invalid, especially if you can get those around you to corroborate your findings. Doctors can be just as biased as anyone else, to the detriment of everyone they treat. It is 100% valid to assume that you are correct and just live with that for a while, share it with people you trust, read books, adapt, and ride out the rollercoaster.

      I find it helps to take that time to decide how you feel, what an official on-paper dx means for you, what you think it will fix, what accommodations you can access, what it might change for the worse, what you’ll do if you can’t find someone even willing to test you. You can still join support groups that embrace people with self-diagnosis — not having the money to get tested and not having anyone to test you never made anyone less autistic. Once you feel some more stability about it, then I find it’s easier to navigate the process of seeking a diagnosis.

      That’s the process I went through around being transgender, having ADHD, and being on the autism spectrum — all after age 45. I’m not super open about the latter two diagnoses (kind of hard to miss my medical/surgical transition, which was the path I chose) but it’s made my life so much easier even just to have diagnosed myself, first. I wasn’t good at having ADHD and ASD, I was always angry at myself, I didn’t know all the tips and tricks to make my life smoother. I used to tutor autistic children and I was amazing at it. But when it came to myself, I just thought I was lazy and broken and I’m not. I’ve gained self-respect on a profound level for everything I’ve managed to do this far and everything I’m doing now to improve my quality of life. I hope you can have a similar experience.

      1. I hate coming up with usernames*

        It’s very hard for a doctor to be biased when it comes to an ASD diagnosis. It’s literally a numbers-based thing that is determined by very standardized tests and questions. It’s a long, grueling process for exactly that reason – to be sure that it is valid.

        1. Parenthetically*

          “It’s very hard for a doctor to be biased when it comes to an ASD diagnosis. ”

          I cannot disagree more strongly with this. It’s incredibly for doctors to dismiss people’s questions and to wave off the idea of an autism diagnosis if it doesn’t fit the stereotypical presentation — especially in girls and women. The diagnosis itself may be numbers-based, but how are you supposed to get to the numbers if your doctor rolls his eyes at you for bringing it up!?

          1. I hate coming up with usernames*

            I think we’re talking about two different things here – the diagnostic test vs. getting the doctor to test you. If my doctor refused to give me a test that I felt was needed, I would be looking for a new doctor. But I do think that’s a better option than self-diagnosing, since as I said upthread, in my experience that is a slippery slope that causes society in general to make innacurate assumptions about what autism is and isn’t.

            1. Cartographical*

              The diagnostic test does not always accommodate the different manifestations of ASD in people of varying genders — same for ADHD/ADD. There are several forms of neuroatypical conditions that are still in the process of being formalized for the DSM so in theory they don’t exist at all outside of those working on studying them — that doesn’t mean they aren’t affecting people every minute of every day. Testing also doesn’t inherently adjust for Developmental Trauma Disorder (PTSD acquired during childhood) and other conditions and the interactions of comorbid conditions.

              Self-diagnosis is a hot topic in some parts of the ASD community (and the trans community, for that matter) but not all tests are equal, and tests are made by those who are given money to study certain conditions within certain parameters and all of that is socially influenced by who we value and how they live. People of colour, the economically disadvantaged, and those with multiple conditions are also often poorly served by the tests as they exist and the truth as it’s taught in medical school. A self-diagnosis can be valid, an incorrect “official” diagnosis can be invalid.

              Further, I don’t know any tester who doesn’t bring their own interpretations and biases to the process. It’s not an absolute. And that’s why I prefer to provide a wide margin for self-diagnosis. If the adaptations and accommodations for an ASD diagnosis improve a person’s quality of life, it costs me nothing and improves the world in general with one more person getting what they need to live well.

              1. I hate coming up with usernames*

                Have you actually seen what the test looks like? Because much of what you’re saying doesn’t ring true when I look at the diagnostic test my son was given. I know about biase in standardized tests, but I’m not seeing it here.

                1. Dinopigeon*

                  Anecdotal experiences are not data. Your personal experiences with your son do not compare to the large amount of actual research that has been done on this topic, that corroborates what Cartographical is saying.

                2. Sammie*

                  The diagnostic tools are different for children than for adults. For adults, it is mostly your history and a checkbox list. And there is evidence that the diagnostics tests are built on boys being the default, so it is harder to get girls diagnosed which is perhaps why so many of us end up as adults looking for a diagnosis.

                3. I hate coming up with usernames*

                  You want to cite that research and actually ty to build an argument instead of just trying to poke holes in mine with zero actual evidence?

                  It’s not anecdotal because I’m not just talking about my son. I’m talking about the actual, physical test.
                  On paper. Given by someone certified. As according to the DSM. And the DSM sure as heck isn’t anecdotal.

                  Some of you seem quite offended by your self-diagnosis being called into question.

                6. Close Bracket*

                  > when I look at the diagnostic test my son was given.

                  There is more research on boys than on girls, so the research the test is based on is weighted heavily on presentation in boys. Questions based on that weighted research are going to identify boys better than they identify girls. This isn’t like the SAT where the bias is from different approaches to test taking. The bias here is built into the questions. You are saying that a test weighted with boys’ data correctly identified your son as autistic, so it cannot be biased. That’s practically a tautology.

            2. Princess Deviant*

              Yes to all of this ^
              A dx is/ would be very important to me. It would explain…A lot. I never really very ‘scored’ highly in the online tests but I’ve always identified with some of the experiences I’ve heard from people with ASD. I like the ‘spiky’ description of the diagnostic roles though that only acting normal talks about.

              Reading and responding to comments has clarified why I am worried about the doctor screening me to make that referral. I can’t afford a private referral, I’m relying on her to get me past the screening so I can be seen by specialists. I’m worried about being rejected for the specialist team, then being none the wiser but still struggling. I’m so very tired.

              1. only acting normal*

                You can do the AQ test online. It’s only a first step indicator but a score over 26 is worth showing to your GP. I don’t know they’d conduct any screening tests themselves – it is quite specialist (esp for adults, esp for women).

                There are a couple of adult & women geared centres about the UK that take NHS referrals from all over the country. E.g. Lorna Wing Centres.
                Most places should do prelim questionnaires, then only progress to interviews etc if appropriate.

                1. Another Manic Monday*

                  The problem with AQ test is that it involves a certain level of self-awareness and how your behavior differs from the rest of the population. I got 23 the first time I took the test after my therapist told me that I was spectrum. Three years later with increased self-awareness I scored 38

          2. Tau*

            Agreeing with Parenthetically here. The problem is that although it’s a test by the numbers, the criteria are very subjective, qualitative ones that can present very differently in different people. Sometimes you might not even have any overt manifestations of a certain symptom, because you’re doing a huge amount of work to compensate – but the underlying problem is still there.

            And, of course, the criteria weren’t handed down as absolute truth, they were created by fallible human researchers studying certain populations. The thing about women vs men being a classic problem. I was diagnosed under criteria created by that specific diagnosis centre which were stricter than the ICD (they were part of a world-class autism research centre, they got to do that sort of thing) and narrowly avoided getting stamped “not autistic” because one of their mandatory categories was “lack of imagination”. When I read my diagnosis papers, that’s the only category where I have the minimum points required for diagnosis – in all the others, I’ve got more. And when I read what the doctor wrote I go “…dude, you’re reaching”. I’m fairly certain that he could tell I was autistic and got a bit creative in his interpretation of that point in order to make sure I got my DX; if I’d had someone more rigid, I might not have.

            Lacking/restricted imagination, for the record, being one of the classic traits that’s way more common in autistic men than autistic women.

            In general, I feel like we underestimate people’s ability to assess themselves (and how distinctive autistic traits are) and overestimate doctors’ judgement. My DX papers honestly weird me out because – there is nothing there that is new to me. In fact, there’s a few things that are kind of wrong! The “lack of imagination” being one, but also some things where I read them and go “whoops, I guess I explained that badly” or “oh, I forgot to mention this thing”. Because… everything in those papers? Came from me explaining to the doctor what my life was like and how I experienced the world. But now, what the paper says about me and my life is considered absolute truth above what I say. It’s a weird, weird feeling.

        2. Cartographical*

          Absolutely disagree with this — for example one of the only psychiatrists in my city doesn’t believe that ADHD/ADD persists past the age of 21 and cannot be diagnosed in adults as it simply does not exist. He is not an older person, he’s nearly twenty years my junior. I have no idea what his opinions are on ASD but I do know practitioners who will not even test female (or female-presenting) clients of any age — I know this because it happened to me when I was young. My brother received testing and diagnoses but they didn’t test girls because girls didn’t have those problems, they were just awkward and flighty and would grow out of it, if not after puberty then at least after having babies. In my twenties, I was quite literally instructed to have another child to “keep me busy and give me purpose” as my struggle to survive a regular job was simply because I was better suited to being a parent (I did not want children to begin with). Those attitudes persist today and I know a number of people affected by them.

          1. I hate coming up with usernames*

            Again, we’re talking about different things here. I’m talking about the actual diagnostic test used to determine whether or not someone is autistic. Yes, a doctor refusing to give the test is of course biased. What I’m pushing back against is his notion that a docto’s diagnosis isn’t really relevant and that self-diagnosis is just as valid.

            1. Ella X*

              Just wanted to pipe up and say I completely agree with you. My daughter is diagnosed ASD and the process isn’t checking off boxes on a list. It was multiple different tests with solid numbers that are used together to form a diagnosis.

              1. Another Manic Monday*

                It took me almost a month of different tests to get my official diagnosis despite my place on the spectrum being obvious to a professional. Five or six-one hour interviews with my therapist and a psychiatrist. The therapist interviewed both my sister (childhood) and my spouse (adulthood) about my personality and behaviors. I also had to make a visit to a neuropsychiatry clinic to have my nervous system checked out (balance, sensory, movements, etc). I didn’t disclose to anyone (except sister and spouse) until I had the official diagnosis on paper in fear of there being a mistake.

                2. Another Manic Monday*

                  The assessments in themselves wasn’t stressful. What made it stressful was that my old employer refused to give me any “reasonable accommodations” unless I could show them the doctor’s recommendation for accommodations following the conclusion of the assessments.

                  Prolonged exposure to sensory overload in my work space had caused me in constant physical pain (burning eyes from the light, brain being drilled by noise) all day long, made me an anxious wreck, and suicidal. Despite that I still had to stay in the harmful office space for another month after the professionals had made their initial determination.

        3. Princess Deviant*

          The whole gender bias in diagnosis is making me feel a more anxious.

          I do know that adult diagnosis is different to child diagnosis, and that it is skewed towards boys, rather than girls and women. I’m aware of this. I was kind of hoping for other positive experiences of people’s diagnosis to help mitigate some of the anxiety I’m feeling around it.

          I realise I can’t dictate what you’re saying but it’s worth me asking – any change you could just drop this now?

      2. Princess Deviant*

        For me I do want an official dx. I wouldn’t say I had asd unless I’d had it confirmed by a doctor.

        I think it’s definitely worth sitting with the feelings though and deciding what a dx would mean to me – I’ve actually been thinking of it for years, and this thread has really helped me clarify some of the thoughts I’m having, so thanks everyone for that.

        I started the thread a couple of hours ago thinking, I’m not ready to speak to my doctor about it yet. Now I’m thinking, yes I’m going to speak to her to ask for a referral…. so, I’m closer than I was this morning!.

        1. Tau*

          I think it’s definitely worth thinking through what a dx would mean for you, why you want one, etc. I spent five years as self-dxed before going for my diagnosis, so I’ve been on both sides of the fence.

          Something that people don’t mention very much which I feel I should warn you about:

          That diagnosis, and the process of getting it, can be really, really depressing because it promotes a very particular view of autism.

          Because, well, there are a lot of great resources for autistic people online, a great community, a lot of disability-rights-related stuff about how being autistic is not a wrong way to be and our way of experiencing things is valid and has real strengths, etc. etc. That can really help build your confidence in yourself and recover your balance after the first realisation that “omg I might be autistic”.

          The diagnosis process, on the other hand, is very much strictly linked to the diagnostic criteria which are very much about deficits. It’s all about what you’re bad at, what you struggle with, in which ways you deviate from the neurotypical ideal. If you’ve developed strategies to mitigate some of your problems, they’re going to get put into the spotlight to see what’s hiding beneath them.

          I hate reading my diagnosis papers. It’s like a litany of all the things the world considers wrong with me, including the ones I go to great lengths to hide. Anytime I do read them I end up wanting to curl up in a ball and disappear.

          For me, learning about being autistic and what it meant for me and the process of diagnosis were completely separate things. It feels like most of the people I talk to nowadays want to combine them. I’m not 100% sure that’s such a great idea. I can’t say, obviously, because I never had that experience, but… I’m glad I already had a very firm view of what autism was and meant for me by the time I got those diagnosis papers. I don’t think the alternative would have been good for me at all.

          Which doesn’t mean “don’t go for a diagnosis”. But I’d recommend doing other things in addition (reading articles by autistic people, checking into support groups, that sort of thing) and to take whatever comes out of the process with a grain of salt.

    8. Mimmy*

      I too have been wondering if I’m on the spectrum. I am 45 as well. At the very least, I think I have ASD traits and/or some sort of sensory integration disorder. I already have a congenital syndrome and, based on what people in the Facebook group have said, I think there are co-occurring autistic traits.

      I grew up in the 70s and 80s when ASD wasn’t as well-known but I’m sure if I were tested, I’d hit on many of the classic characteristics: intense interests on certain topics, dislike for deviating from routines, not liking to play with other children, even flapping my fingers in front of light sources (the latter two were when I was really little). Even today, I am prone to overstimulation / sensory overload (which makes it difficult to enjoy my wonderful nieces and nephews when they’re all in the same room) and am not always great with thinking creatively.

      Yet, I hesitate to get diagnosed. I talked with my sister about this some time ago, and having another “label” could actually be harmful. My supervisor knows I have some difficulties, but if I ever told her that I thought I was had an ASD, things would probably change real quick, and not for the better.

      I’m sorry this reply is not helpful :( I just wanted to share my story as a way to commiserate with how you (and others) are feeling. I will be following this thread to see what others’ experiences have been. Maybe it will be worth it after all.

      1. Thursday Next*

        One thing to consider is whether you can incorporate any modifications or accommodations to your work environment regardless of having a diagnosis in hand. What would you change, if you knew you were on the spectrum? Can you make some of those changes anyway?

        This is a very long story for another time, but this is where I am with one of my children, who has no official diagnosis. And her doctors and therapists agree that at this point, that doesn’t matter. We’d still be offering the same services and accommodations.

    9. Another Manic Monday*

      I got diagnosed as an adult (41) after seeking help for severe anxiety and depression (due to prolonged exposure to sensory overload in my workplace). I didn’t meet any resistance from the medical community at all, quite the opposite, but I am also a male and mental health professionals are more aware about the ASD in males. You will need to see somebody who are familiar with diagnosing women on the spectrum as they present much differently from the men. In general, Autistic women are much better at camouflaging than Autistic men and are more likely to fly under the radar.

      I was blindsided by my diagnosis because the possibility didn’t even exist in my mind. It was a great relief to finally get an explanation to all my struggles in life and I could allow myself to stop trying to be somebody that I can never be. I’m completely open about being on spectrum at work and I don’t try to hide it from anyone.

      I understand the nerves, but you owe it to yourself to pursue an evaluation.

    10. Arya Parya*

      I’m on the wait list to get tested. For me becoming a mother 10 months ago was the breaking point. I still have a hard time coping with all the sensory input. My GP was very supporting and saw enough indicators to get me tested.

      I’m a 34 year old woman. I can pass as NT too and will not seem autistic. My brother is on the spectrum also, diagnosed as a child. So my family is familiar with it and supports me getting a diagnosis.

      Hopefully this gives you a positive example on how this can go.

    11. Tau*

      So as mentioned in the rest of the thread, I got diagnosed while I was at university. Overall it went very well, I was lucky that the place I was living at the time had a clinic specialising in adult assessment, and disability services at my uni were *fantastic* and helped me with getting a diagnosis after I turned up and said “uh, I’m fairly certain I’m autistic, and it’s causing major problems with some basic life skills like going to lectures or leaving the flat at all or, well… eating. I know you can’t offer me proper support because I don’t have a diagnosis, but I’m worried I’m going to fail out of uni or possibly starve… help?”

      I did have a brush with the attitude you mention – when I went to my GP for referral, she seemed really skeptical and didn’t refer me after my appointment. I ended up going back to disability services, they called her office and I got my referral (see above re: fantastic). I think it helps to have someone on your side – even someone who’s not a professional, just a friend or family member who can support you if things aren’t going well. I don’t know about you, but I have major, major problems doing new things and stepping outside of my comfort zone, and pursuing an autism diagnosis is definitely that – I don’t think I would have managed it if it had just been up to me.

      1. Tau*

        And – OK, hell with it, it’s not as if this makes me particularly identifiable considering the size of the university in question –

        If you happen to be living in Cambridge or Petersborough, you can ask for a referral to CLASS – Cambridge Lifespan Autism Spectrum Service (the A stood for Aspergers at the time I went there). They really know their thing, although – fair warning – at least back then they really wanted to interview one of your parents, or someone else who knew you very well as an adult when you were a child. I hadn’t been planning on telling my parents at all, so this forced me to have an awkward conversation with them.

        http://www.cpft.nhs.uk/services/class-clinic.htm

        1. Princess Deviant*

          I am lucky enough to have an adult autism diagnostic service in my locality, plus I live near a university city – but not Cambridge or Petersborough :)

          Thank you so much for the advice and resources though, I appreciate it.

          1. Tau*

            Figured it was unlikely, but I’m glad you have access to adult diagnosis services! That’s really my main piece of practical DX-related advice: find a place that does specifically autism diagnosis in adults if you can. Somewhere that doesn’t do autism specifically, or that does kids, is very likely to go wrong.

            And… hope this is OK… I saw your comment about getting anxious due to the gender bias stuff upthread and wanted to reassure you a bit! I think a lot of the statistics on that front come from diagnosis in children, not in adults. As an adult you also have the ability to explain “no, I do have social difficulties, I just mask them with X, Y and Z”, the process should be more collaborative. I have a lot of the classically-female autism presentation (relatively good social skills, obsessive interests manifesting in socially acceptable directions, heavy interest in fiction, imaginative play as a kid, etc.) and although I did have some problems with the criteria I had zero problems with the person who assessed me and I got my diagnosis. In general, any competent adult autistic diagnostic centre will have seen women in addition to men and have a good idea of the diversity of the spectrum – I’d be utterly astonished if you get any stereotyped “but you can’t be autistic because you can smile at people” nonsense at a place like that.

            Good luck! I hope things work out for you. :)

    12. ?????*

      What habits/characteristics do you recognize in yourself as ASD?

      I ask because while I don’t think I have the “classic” autism sign of not reading body language/social cues (I think I do that okay), being social is just such hard work — and I constantly feel as though my efforts to connect go ignored, or sometimes that Iam ignored. This is very frustrating and I’ve always kind of wondered whether there was something more that was “non-typical” about me than being untypically antisocial.

      1. Princess Deviant*

        Too long a list and personal to mention here.

        But if you look up autism spectrum disorder you should find a list of the common characteristics. Also check out the triad of impairments.

    13. MeepMeep*

      May I ask why you’re seeking the diagnosis? I ask because I’m kinda in the same boat – similar age, and realizing more and more that I’m probably somewhere on the spectrum. The diagnosis didn’t exist when I was a child, but my mother now agrees that I probably met the criteria.

      I’ve always thought that a diagnosis would be helpful for a child, but not really so much for an adult; is there something that they do for adult ASD folks that would be helpful?

    14. Very Smart Girl*

      ME!

      I got diagnosed with Aspergers 2 yrs ago. I wanted an official Dx. I read about it in 2 places before – about how women / girls aspergers are different by 2 women who got diagnosed as adults.. and how it was not easy to diagnose women/girls…….Ever since that I always wondered if I had it, the Dx actually was a huge relief!

      I’ve mentioned it to a few of people – If I were to go back, I’d keep it private (just tell DH & daughter) and no one else. it was a bad idea to tell a few ppl.

      1. Very Smart Girl*

        The Doc who diagnosed me also heavily hinted to keep it private. I should have listened. Nothing harmful came out of sharing, but there were subtle ways I was treated differently and I didn’t like it. Good thing is none of the ppl I now work with know about this and I plan to keep it private going forward!

        1. only acting normal*

          I’ve found disclosure a mixed bag too. My last boss was “Yeah, I guessed” and was fine, my current boss is great, a few people have done the classic “You must be very mildly affected” (not really!) which is annoying, some have been a bit weirded out. I keep it close and only tell people as needed now… or, you know, the entire internet! :-D

    15. Princess Deviant*

      I don’t think people will see this, but in case there’s anyone still reading :) – I have an appointment booked with my GP for the first stage of the assessment, next Tuesday 16th.
      I just told the receptionist I wanted to speak about my mental health, which of course is the truth.

  4. Ruth (UK)*

    I’m very stressed right now because I missed a bill to do with the ground maintenance around my flat (which I own as a leasehold) and also the final notice before action letter and then received a penalty fare letter… The deadline of that also now being passed (though that one had a short deadline of only 7 days from the letter).

    I made an online payment yesterday of what I think I owe but as it’s all late and the penalty is late too I’m worried about what will happen next. They’re closed now but I will call them in Monday and hopefully resolve it but it’s making me feel stressed.

    While this is my fault for missing the letters, this is largely because I’ve been dealing with a stalker for the last 2 years who also sends me a very high volume of post. Aside from having to sort through itto get to my real stuff (and just the general spam post) I also have developed a lot of anxiety about going through my post and have put it off a lot. So I’ve been very slow getting to things. I have the majority of my bills etc on direct debit so it doesn’t normally cause this sort of issue but this one was a once yearly bill.

    Luckily, I do at least have the money I owe and the extra amount is not enough to cause me long term financial issues.

    1. Elenor*

      I have had very similar problems to you, someone stalked me for a number of years and it still affects me now. In my situation I’ve found that writing the problem down with possible outcomes and the solution to those outcomes really helps. There’s nothing you can do until Monday, distractions help with my anxiety, reading a book or cooking, anything to keep my mind busy. It will be alright, you’ll be okay.

    2. LDN Layabout*

      Honestly, it is more than likely going to be fine. A lot of letters like that are sent to scare the hell out of conscientious people like you, because they sure as hell don’t work on the ones that don’t care.

      Companies don’t want to have to do more than they need to. Letters are easy. Others actions are hard. Once they see you’ve paid, you’ll be fine.

      Source: Me and my flatmate were confused about our lease and water bills/who’s responsible. Our lease started in August. We just paid our first water bill after a ‘we see someone new has moved in’ IN MARCH. It was a stupid move on our parts, but once paid, no harm no foul.

      1. Overeducated*

        Yes, in my experience when you make a good faith effort to pay an overdue bill usually that solves the problem and people are understanding. Once they don’t have to chase you down any more, that’s it. (Unless it’s with a cable/phone provider, in which case it will take regular phone calls for years to attempt to resolve, but that’s unfortunately the case when the error is on their end, too.)

    3. Seeking Second Childhood*

      For the long term, would you be able to find someone else to help you with the initial mail sort just to pull out and check things that might be from the one you don’t want to receive? Maybe once a week have the post sorted by a friend or or 1hour hire of a trustworthy neighbor teen?

      1. Katefish*

        Long shot, but they may waive the remaining fees if you ask but that you paid the underlying bill. I’d definitely say you didn’t mean to overlook it and have paid now, and ask them to waive what’s left in penalty. If they say no, just pay what’s left. In any case, good luck!

      2. Not So NewReader*

        In the US, you can put a stop to mail coming from certain return addresses. This assumes there is a return address on the letter.
        Please do get someone to sit with you and help you through your mail. I understand for my own reasons about Mail Dread. I now have a friend who has Mail Dread and sometimes she calls, so I go over with her for a bit.

        I could be mistaken or saying this incorrectly but I THINK using the mail to harass someone is a crime in the US. You might want to investigate this on your end and see if you can find legal recourse.

        1. Ruth (UK)*

          Thank you. I have had the police involved for a little of a year but it’s… difficult to deal with because of the mental condition of the person involved, and because the letters are not threatening in nature (they just mostly declare his love for me and ask me to live with him). It’s the volume of letters that makes it unmanageable (every day). Unfortunately, there is no return address on them.

          1. Not So NewReader*

            It sounds smothering. I am very sorry you have had this problem and it has been running so long. Does he get any social services? Does he have a case manager?

          2. Dr. Anonymous*

            I’m so sorry! In the US, you can have an extra mailing address just by adding “1/2” to your house number. Can you do that in the UK, have two mailboxes, and just send all your important mail to the “1/2” address and dump the rest in the bin?

          4. Elenor*

            Have you been to the Citizens Advice Bureau? There’s usually a volunteer who could help you with your situation. I got into serious debt by not opening post, ignoring email because I thought they were from him. It doesn’t matter that there are no threats it’s terrifying. Please believe that I know how you feel, I’m only now getting a handle on my debt. I owed a lot of Council Tax and I was frightened, scared to talk to them but when I did and I told them what my situation was the people I spoke to were very helpful. Just be honest with them and ask if you can get billing online. Perhaps you could create a new email account just for bills? I hope things get better for you Ruth, I really do.

    4. Lizabeth*

      Can you get a post office box for all your bills and other important mail to be directed to? That way it’s separate from the icky stuff.

      I’m assuming you’ve reported the icky mail to the police but it probably wouldn’t hurt to do a follow up.

      Sending good thoughts your way.

    5. Apoch*

      Don’t worry about it, they send quite firm sounding letters but there really isn’t any ltjing they can do to you just because the payment was a bit late, they’ll just be glad you paid the bill.

      1. Auntie Social*

        Autopay. I hate going through the mail too. My bills are all on autopay in case I get to things late. I also have due dates in my phone so I can check my accounts online to make sure everything is current.

    6. Batgirl*

      As someone who went through something really similar, I would advise a) Giving yourself a break. Missing a bill is a decent sacrifice to the gods of mental health. You prioritised well!
      b) Find a mail organisational system so that you’re not having to routinely do something that distresses you. You could have approved-mail sent to a PO box or have them all switched to paperless email, which should cut down on sorting (there’s also a royal mail opt out for unaddressed mail which should further cut down on sorting). It should be obvious if something has slipped through the net if theres a smaller pile reaching your door.
      Or you could have all the mail sent to your address redirected. My mother was able to spam filter stuff for me and remove anything problematic (or save it as proof) without telling me. She’d let me know if anything important had arrived. You’d need someone very trustworthy for that though.
      C) Seven days is ridiculous! You could have easily missed that for being away on holiday, plus did they ever tell you there were late fees? Or when it was due? This might be a good resource for you:
      https://www.servicechargedisputeguide.info/do-i-have-to-pay-an-administration-charge-for-late-payment-of-ground-rent/

    7. Elizabeth West*

      Can you get your bills sent electronically instead of through the post? None of mine come via post anymore–it’s all email. (I’m in the US.) That way, you won’t miss anything if you don’t feel up to sorting the mail.

      1. Lilith*

        I’m going to second auto pay. If the amount is the same each time and the date due is similar, it’s great. Also, as Elizabeth says, emailed reminders are great.

        1. Elizabeth West*

          I don’t do autopay because I have to juggle, just electronic bills. But most companies will do this now.

    8. MissDisplaced*

      Don’t stress! Just call them ASAP and explain that you forgot or didn’t see the bill. If you have a good history with them, you may be given a pass, or at worst pay a late fee. But I’d ask them if they can waive the late fee.

  5. anonymouse*

    I recently realized that it’s been over five years since I’ve seen any Buffy:tVS, which honestly feels like an eternity. The show is a foundational work of art from my teen/young adult days, and still something I hold close to my heart. The last Buffyverse I watched: Angel: The Series, season 5, second half (the Fred/Illyria arc) right after Trump won the election. I needed comfort and sorrow in equal measure.

    I’m excited to re-watch Buffy from the beginning, “Welcome to the Hellmouth”, even though there are so many new shows I *could* be watching. But Buffy is one of those ride-or-die things for me.

    1. Different name for safety*

      I am going to a Once More With Feeling singalong this week. With Nicholas Brendan in attendance. I’m so excited!!!

      1. Tris Prior*

        I am envious! I went to one once and it was SO fun even without Xander. I thought the singalongs had been banned for copyright, though, and shut down?

        1. Different name for safety*

          I don’t know! Maybe it’s officially sanctioned with Nicholas Brendan being there? If you want to get your photo taken with him it’s something like £300.

    2. Lcsa99*

      Its been even longer than that since I watched Buffy, sadly. It was such an amazing show and I still think Joss Whedon is brilliant.

      I do occasionally let out the occasional “grr arg.”

      1. Elizabeth West*

        I had a t-shirt with the Grr-Arg zombie on it. I wore it until it fell apart LOL.

    3. Seeking Second Childhood*

      About to introduce my child to the first Buffy movie, but there’s enough adult about the series that I’m debating if she’s old enough. If it were a movie where would you rate it?

      1. Madge*

        Common sense media rates it at 13+. Parent and kid reviews on their site each rate it at 12+.

      2. Freelance Everything*

        I watched it when I was about 8 when it was airing on TV but my dad would watch the episodes ‘live’ and then I’d watch the recording.

        I had a good grasp on TV and Film not being real so there was no real worry concerning that; my dad was more prepping himself on the themes and such so he could parent more effectively in the aftermath.

        I think that’s a good way to go, honestly. Plus it gives you a chance to watch it through with your kid in mind and you’ll know best if they’re ready for it.

      3. caseyj*

        The movie is not what it was intended to be, for sure. However, with Luke Perry’s recent passing (RIP to my forever future husband), I have enjoyed watching it. And Paul Ruebens SLAYS in that roll
        “oh yeah, Clap”
        dying.

    4. Marion Ravenwood*

      Confession time: I have never watched Buffy. I think I was just a bit too young for it at the time when it aired in the UK, and I’ve never got round to it. I think I would like it though so am determined to start watching it at some point this year!

      1. Seeking Second Childhood*

        Don’t skip the movie. Paul Reubens made a great datk-comedy villain.
        Also be aware that they changed the universe a bit for the series, so you can enjoy it for the pure romp it is.

    6. Loopy*

      I just debating checking this out of my local library this week! I was a latecomer to the series in Season 5 and really got into it during Season 6.

      Have you read the spin off book that just came out? I was quite worried but ended up liking it a lot. Its called Slayer by Kiersten White.

    7. Double A*

      I rewatched all of Buffy in the months after the 2016 election and it was such a balm.

    8. JKP*

      I started out as a Trekkie and didn’t get into Buffy until season 5, then went back and rewatched all the previous seasons and read way too much fanfic. I think Buffy and Star Trek are similar in many ways. On. ST they used alien worlds to explore aspects of our own humanity, whereas with Buffy they used demons and magic in the same way. Buffy actually ended up as my all-time favorite show.

    9. Grandma Mazur*

      I haven’t watched it in ages, not since I was trying to get my partner to get into it and realised that season one and the first half of two haven’t aged that well… But I have very fond memories of many episodes and may get him to dip in and out (for, eg, Band Candy, Doppelgangland, Fear Itself, etc).

      1. Merci Dee*

        Fear Itself was one of my favorite episodes.

        “They’re all going to leave you, you know. ”

        “Yeah, yeah.”

        ~crunch~

    10. only acting normal*

      I once watched all of Season 5 in a day… in random order. I had flu, which is as close as I can get to an explanation.

      1. caseyj*

        Claire Kramer as Glory as the big bad is my favorite. My kiddo watched transformers prime the animated series when we was younger and optimus sacrifices himself for the good of the auto-bots and he was so confused, so I showed him the last of Season 5 and was like “see, mom’s heroes do it too”
        And now with endgame coming out soon, we have the ultimate lesson

      2. Courageous cat*

        Season 5 is my favorite. I watched half of Buffy when it was on the air and I was a kid, but I rewatched all of it in 2016 as an adult, and Season 5 was just so fucking good nonstop. Very compelling story, and I liked Dawn and the concept of her.

  6. Thursday Next*

    One of the kittens we adopted in November might have FIP (incurable, fatal). It’s a nasty disease with no definitive test, so after two vet visits this week, we can’t be sure. I haven’t discussed this with my son yet—we adopted the kittens in November to help him with his depression. He knows she’s sick and not eating much, but thinks she’ll recover.

    I lost a one-year-old cat to FIP 19 years ago, so I’ve been down this road, and it’s hard. I’m hoping it’s not FIP, and that what she has is some virus that she’ll work through eventually. I’ve been giving her an appetite stimulant that doesn’t seem to be working, and she’s so lethargic compared to the frisky little thing she was two months ago.

    I didn’t want to get any cats after we had to put down our beloved 16-y.o. cat two years ago, and I’m surprised by how attached I’ve become to this pair, especially the one who’s sick. I’m just very sad and worried.

      1. Thursday Next*

        Thank you. She’s so adorable and wonderful, and I’m so sad feeling like I can’t restore her to herself.

    2. Star Nursery*

      I’m sorry! I’m hoping it’s something she can recover from as well! My kitten had an illness this year that the vet prescribed an antibiotic for her and she’s much better now so I hope your kitty is better soon. Did you try offering wet food or tuna? My kitten was not eating as much at that time. The vet told me that cats sense of smell makes a difference on wanting to eat.

      1. Thursday Next*

        A great suggestion—I will get some “smellier” food. As I have a cold right now, it won’t bother me. ;)

        1. I'm A Little Teapot*

          Also try baby food. It’s a gold standard for getting sick/elderly kitties to eat. Get a jar of the chicken puree.

    3. Venus*

      I am so sorry – I lost a cat to FIP years ago, and it’s an awful disease.

      There is an experimental, expensive treatment. It won’t help most cats, yet, but at least there is hope with the disease. For more info:
      https://youtu.be/evsb05IZw2o

      1. Thursday Next*

        This is really interesting! I hope it’s something that becomes effective—and affordable. I was really dismayed to learn that there haven’t been any advances in diagnosis or treatment in the nearly two decades since another cat of mine had it.

    4. Ada*

      So sorry about your kitty! I hope she recovers. Piggy-backing off Star Nursery’s suggestion, another thing you might want to try is a baby food made of some kind of meat (make sure it’s just the meat, no veggies mixed in). Apparently some cats go crazy for it. I’ve heard of people socializing feral kittens by offering them meat baby food because it’s so irresistible to them it overrides their instinct to not trust humans. Or just switch up the food in general. I think we bought my 18 yo cat another year because we got a sample of cat food in the mail and tried feeding it to her. At the time she was dying from renal failure and had just about stopped eating before we stumbled on the new food that she would eat.

      1. Thursday Next*

        Thank you, Ada and Star Nursery. I’ll try offering tuna and different wet foods, including baby food. I’ve been heating up her wet food, which increases the aroma, and she nibbles a bit and walks away.

        1. Auntie Social*

          I thought I was the only one who heated up the cat’s food!! If I heat it she eats it all–it I don’t she eats about half. Canned food is expensive, I don’t want to waste it. And the family thinks I’m mental.

        2. Rainy*

          Watch the ingredients carefully–the chicken baby food often has onion in it for flavoring (because chicken tastes like…nothing), and onion is of course quite bad for cats.

    5. Rainy*

      If it helps at all.. when I was a kid, just ten or eleven, we had two kittens, sisters, that we took in for a spay, and our vet (a cousin), called us after the operation, crying, to tell us that they had all the markers of FIP, which I seem to recall was pretty newly discovered at the time (this would have been maybe 1986ish?). She’d cleaned out their abdomens of the characteristic fluid buildup while she was in there for the spay, and she thought it would help some but she had no idea how much.

      They both lived to be in their teens, and never had any further problems.

      1. Thursday Next*

        That’s amazing. Our vet didn’t see any fluid, so she said this might be “dry” FIP. I’m just going to hope for the best.

        1. Rainy*

          You honestly never know with cats. They are amazingly persistent when they want to be.

        2. MsChanandlerBong*

          I don’t want to give you false hope, but a vet told us our cat was FIP-positive in 2009. She’s now 12 years old and doesn’t have a thing wrong with her, according to the exam and blood tests she had done last month. I am hoping you get the same outcome!

    6. Anontech*

      I’m so sorry for you, your kitten, and your family! FIP is such an awful, sad disease and I truly hope your little one does not have it! I’ve worked in the veterinary field for almost 20 years, mostly in specialty medicine, so I’ve seen so much of it. I’m not going to speculate on the diagnostics and all that your vet has done. However, if the appetite stimulant hasn’t worked for your kitten, you could always ask your vet if there may be a different one you could try. Also, anti nausea medicine if she’s not on any. As far as food to offer try a variety! I used to be astounded by the cats that would turn up their noses at tuna and fishy canned food, but then scarf down canned chicken.
      Good luck to you and I’ll be hoping for the best!

    7. not Lynn Davis*

      Two more wet food suggestions….
      1. Vet recommended baby food lamb (rather than other meats/veg) when our young kitty had upset stomach. Said it was easy to digest. Kitty LOVED it.
      2. When kitty was older/overweight and vet recommended switching from dry diet to mainly wet food….Kitty wouldn’t eat the ‘healthy ‘ wet we bought. Vet advised Fancy Feast canned, describing it as kitty crack. Yep, she scarfed it down.

  7. Sparkly Librarian*

    What chance do I have of a bank waiving my credit card late fee/interest charge just because I ask? I always pay in full, on time, but I had 2 weeks of bad luck and discombobulation (minor car accident, cat death, work schedule changed significantly, my calendar reminder to pay that bill expired) and missed the due date this month. Figured it out 2 says late and already paid the balance. I figure it can’t hurt to ask, but I don’t know whether it’s something routinely waived or not.

    1. Lena Clare*

      Good – especially if your history is good. Just talk to them, explain what happened, explain how it isn’t going to happen again, you’ll be fine :-)

    2. Star Nursery*

      It doesn’t hurt to ask! They can say no but you would never know unless you try.

    4. Red Reader the Adulting Fairy*

      The late fee, good chance. The interest, not so likely. At least, that’s been my experience.

    5. The Other Dawn*

      If it’s the first time it’s quite likely they’ll waive the late fee. I don’t think they’d waive the interest, though.

    6. Ranon*

      Mine waives one late fee a year if you just call and ask, interest you’re likely stuck with but since you’re on the phone anyways doesn’t hurt to ask.

    7. Not So NewReader*

      Echoing, I also think this will go well for you. You are just politely asking and pointing out that you have been a good customer. It’s a long shot that they say no, but if they do say no, then you just thank them for their time and hang up. You can decide later if you want a different card because of this.

    8. Teapot Translator*

      It happened to me once, and I called and they waived the interest charge. I don’t think there was a fee (we probably or not in the same part of the world). It doesn’t hurt to ask.
      I had a coworker once who got the interest charge waived three times, I think, until finally the bank told him that to waive the interest, he would have to sign up for automatic payments.

    9. Anongineer*

      I’ve had this happen a few times across different credit cards – store cards, master card, visa – and they have always waived both the late fee and the interest. I’m always apologetic and nice; they always point out that I have an excellent payment history.

    10. The Doctor is In*

      Good chance. If you can swing it, also recommend setting up automatic payments through your bank.

    11. Rachel*

      Many banks/credit card providers will routinely waive one fee per year. Defintely ask.

    12. Mephyle*

      Tip: overpay, otherwise you may be charged further interest next month. That is, when you pay this month you pay the amount owing, which consists of credit charges, interest on the statement, and late fee, and you think you’ve covered it, but next month you get hit with extra charge, which is interest on the interest and/or late fee that incurred between the date the statement was generated and the date you paid. If you proactively pay more, it may forestall that interest.

    14. Budgie Lover*

      I was a day late for Chase once, called them and explained what happened and aplologized. No dice. Luckily the fee was only $20.

    16. Samwise*

      Some years ago we bounced an astounding number of checks and a number of bills (including credit cards) one month due to bad life situation…we called the bank and all of the creditors and almost all of them waived the fees. Having been a reliable payer in the past really helped, and we made sure to be really on the ball after that.

    17. Everdene*

      I used to work for financial call centres. Even the most junior p/t advisor ws able to waive a certain number of fees each week/month. Be polite, kind, genuine and understanding that they might not be able to do this… do not swear or get angry if they don’t waive the charges – this will potentially get notes/warnings on your file for all future call handlers to read. Go for it though, you have nothing to lose.

  9. matcha123*

    Looking for tasty coffee recommendations! It’ll be getting a lot warmer soon and I live to cold brew coffee to take with me to work.
    I like flavored coffees hot, but not too many seem to hold up well after a night steeping in the fridge.
    I don’t like ones that are too bitter. I also can’t get brands like Dunkin Donuts where I am (outside of the US), but have access to a good number of independent shops that roast and sell their own beans.
    Any particular blends or brands people like?

    1. Lena Clare*

      Costa Coffee is my favourite coffee shop, and the one I buy in the shops is Lavazzo :-)

      It really depends on taste though. When I drank caffeine, I liked McDonalds coffee, but wouldn’t dream of buying their food (sorry!). McDo’s in the UK doesn’t do decaff or vegan milk thingies so I can’t drink there now. I have a friend who prefers Nero’s but I think their coffee is too strong.

      For shop bought coffee, I prefer the ones from the same origin (not the mixed ones). I don’t know where you are though – do you have a Sainsbury’s? They do nice different flavoured natural coffee, you know like wines I mean, not with flavours added in.
      They also do syrups if you wanted to make your own flavours, and instant (yes I know :/) coffee with flavours in like hazelnut or mint or Irish cream or whatever. I don’t know what they taste like though. The only instant I like is the Azera stuff and even then it is because there are no other alternatives.

      And personally, I think you can make the Irish cream one with proper filter coffee and then putting Irish Cream in instead of milk but what do I know?!

      1. coffee cup*

        Nero coffee IS strong! You have to ask for a ‘mild’ (i.e. one shot), like an outcast, ha.

        Sainsbury’s coffee filters are the best ones I’ve found. Still not ‘real’ the way I like it, but definitely decent.

      2. matcha123*

        That sounds delicious! I’m in Japan and I don’t think that chain is here, but adding Irish cream to coffee does sound very nice!

    2. The RO-Cat*

      I’ve experimented with cold brew and found the combination of 1/2 Colombian coffee + 1/2 Kenyan (or Ethiopian) coffee, freshly ground, to be to my taste: not too bitter, not too burnt, flavorful and keeping very well in the fridge once steeping is over. Unfortunately I can’t tell you the exact brands because I buy coffee at a small local shop (herbs, condiments and coffee) and all the vendor knew was the origin of the beans.

    3. Seeking Second Childhood*

      I’m a Maxwell House fan myself. And I got a bottle of flavored sweetener, so my husband can get “coffee-flavored coffee” from the same pot I get my hazelnut or vanilla.

    4. Not A Manager*

      If you don’t like the bitter flavor, try Sumatra beans. I get them in a medium roast. They are my favorite.

      People who like their coffee “bright” and with lots of “berry” might not like Sumatra. I find that anything that is marketed as “bright” is not my favorite – they tend to taste sort of sharp to me.

      1. matcha123*

        I think I’ve had some sumatra at starbucks (of all places!). I also think I know what you mean with the ‘berry’. A friend gave me a bag of ground coffee and I am pretty sure she said it had a lot of berry. The tag explaining the ‘hints’ and mixtures was ripped off, but it was pretty hard to drink.

    5. ThatGirl*

      I dig Central American beans, and try to look for local roasters, but Target has some good blends for reasonable prices. Tierra del Sol is good. I live on coldbrew in the summer.

    6. Damn it, Hardison!*

      I like Raven’s Brew Skookum and Misty Fjords. Both are medium roasts. We usually order them direct because we can’t reliably get them at a store near us. They are in Alaska, of all places, so we order several bags at a time to make the shipping worth it (I think we usually get free shipping).

    7. cat slave*

      I’ve never made cold brew but a tip for hot: to take the bitter notes out, grind the coffee quite fine, and use more than you think. I do 3 large tbspns of our coarsely-ground work coffee (no grinder), for about 1 cup of french press, and I let it sit for awhile. Not all the bitter is removed, but it is a much sweeter coffee than normal ratio.

      1. ThatGirl*

        The easiest way to make coldbrew is to let coarse grounds steep for at least 12 hours, then strain. No heat = low acidity. I make it strong and dilute with milk or water.

    8. Parenthetically*

      Since you’re near independent shops, go there, tell them what you like and don’t like and what you’re using it for (cold brew), and ask them what they’d recommend! Nothing from a grocery is even going to approach the quality of an independent shop’s carefully roasted beans!

      1. matcha123*

        Thanks! It never occurred to me to try that…the customers I see in those places all seem to know what they want and I slowly slink out the door after staring at coffee items and filling my nose with delicious scents lol

      2. Marion Ravenwood*

        Yes to this! When I lived in a different bit of London, I used to go to an amazing food market in Greenwich that had a stall with all different flavours of coffee and tea, and where they would grind the coffee beans to suit how you were brewing them. They were always super-helpful and friendly (the guy actually ended up helping us make a custom-blended tea for our wedding) so if there’s anything like that near you I’d definitely give them a go.

    9. Grandma Mazur*

      Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is my favourite but I’ve not made cold brew with it before (since up until recently I was buying ground coffee and that was ground fine for espresso rather than the french press we use for cold brewing).

    10. CastIrony, The Worst Barista Ever*

      I used to be a horrible barista, especially since I don’t drink coffee. Let’s see what I can remember:
      Can you buy flavored syrup at the store? If so, you can just add it to your coffee drinks! Just remember to count to four as you pour!

      Now, let’s see if my memory for an iced mocha serves me well. It’s basically a milkshake with espresso!
      For the milkshake “base”, mix the following:
      – six scoops of whatever ice cream you want (I used vanilla and/or chocolate)
      – a little bit of milk, like half a cup at most
      After the milkshake “base”, you can use the flavored syrup of your choice, but always count to four as you pour, then stir.
      I believe you can add ice (made with coffee would taste better, but I think regular ice was used) at this point
      Then, make your espresso shots (2-3), but the machine I used did two shots’ worth at a time.
      Pour the espresso (or coffee) into the milkshake and enjoy (I hope!)

    11. Samwise*

      I’d ask at your local shops, describing the kinds you like, how you brew them, drinking hot or cold, leaving in fridge overnite, etc. Shop owners and many baristas really enjoy helping customers with this.

      For cold/iced coffee: I find that brewing overnite tends to make a bitter-er coffee. I brew the coffee hot (french press), pour into a glass jar, add dairy or sugar if wanted, let it cool to room temp, then stick it in the fridge. Maybe I am just bad at cold-brewing!

    12. caseyj*

      I make my own in a toddy – I brew it for 48 hours usually and buy iced beans from a local shop. You can put vanilla or cinnamon drops/flavor in it to help if you like.

  10. Cows go moo*

    Has anyone had therapy for OCD? I realise I need to see someone but I am embarrassed and kinda overwhelmed. I wonder if anyone can explain what a psychologist actually does so I can understand the process involved.

    1. Lena Clare*

      Yes. I had cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and person-centred therapy many years later. CBT involved talking about past stuff, patterns, then doing things that changed the patterns. My therapist was good, and my OCD DID go into remission although it flares up with stress, however the weird thing was I didn’t FEEL different and I think maybe I expected to feel differently?

      I also read a good book, I am sorry I cannot remember it now, but it did complement what the therapist was teaching me and that was basically
      1/ notice the obsessive thought
      2/ ‘detach’ from the thought. I.E. say to yourself “this is not me, this is my OCD”
      3/ go and do something different mindfully until the thought passes, up to around 15 minutes but usually much less.
      E.g. I am washing the dishes, the water is hot, I am wearing rubber gloves, the soap bubbles are coming up to the top of the sink, I am scrubbing the pan clean, I am rinsing the pan. etc.
      Repeat the steps where necessary, but be gentle with yourself. Try not to use language that might be judgemental – this is not me it’s my stupid OCD why can’t I get it to stop? etc.
      I think that is the essence of it, but obviously be guided by your therapist.

      The best therapy I have ever had by far though is person-centred. I think you have to absolutely find the right therapist of course but even more so with PC therapy because it is about the relationship between the two of you that is at the core of the therapy and why it works. But if you get a good PC therapist imo there is NOTHING person-centred can’t help with. I am a huge advocate. It helped me enormously with my OCD. In fact, ugh, thinking about it now – I can’t even remember when the last episode was, and I have been feeling shit and stressed lately!

      Feeling embarrassed and overwhelmed and all the other feelings you have are natural, and some are even consequences of the OCD itself. I was nervous too, but it worked because I finally got the stage where the pain inside was worse than the fear of releasing it and so I HAD to do the therapy, I felt like I had no other choice (other than death, and I didn’t want to die). Sometimes it did release very painful emotions in me, but I felt safe with my therapist to explore that.

      I wish you well.

    2. Marion Q*

      My therapy is for anxiety and depression, but since you seem to ask more about what a psychologist does and the actual process maybe I can help answering? I totally get the embarrassment and being overwhelmed!

      1. Cows go moo*

        What was actually involved in treatment? What activities/”homework” did you have to do? What did you learn and how did it help?

        1. Marion Q*

          The first few sessions were about the psychologist and me finding out what the issues are, what was my current life situation was, what did I expect/need/hope from therapy, and building trust between the us. I spent these sessions talking to the wall instead of to my psychologist because I was still too embarrassed. A good psychologist will understand this and not force you to to do anything you’re not ready yet. I found it difficult to explain my issues at first, and my psychologist gently coaxed me to talk, which was helpful. So don’t worry if you don’t know how to articulate your issues yet, the psychologist knows how guide you to give the information. On these first session you probably won’t be given any activities/”homework” yet, and it may feel slow at first. If you can come up with what kind of help/expectations/support you need, that may move the process faster, but don’t worry if you can’t come up with specifics. The two of you will figure it out together.

          My activities were small stuff at first, like relaxation techniques for when my anxiety is acting up. Later on my psychologist started to “challenge” me on my anxious thoughts. For example I mentioned a recurrent thought that comes up when I’m anxious, and she asked me what proof I have to warrant such thoughts. Basically we examined these thoughts, what triggered them, and whether they were actually rational/reasonable outcomes or not. She also taught me techniques to help dealing with the thoughts. For “homework”, she assigned me books to read, mainly about mindfulness for my anxiety. She also asked me to write a journal to help keep track on my anxious and depressive thoughts. We met weekly, so we’d go over my entries that week and discussed it. Another “homework” was to start a routine exercise schedule to help with my lethargy.

          All these techniques definitely help me dealing with my anxiety better. Nowadays when I get anxious thoughts I try to use the relaxation techniques first, then examine the situation using the model she taught me.

          Another major benefit was that she explained to me the science behind anxiety and depression, some that I already knew, some that I hadn’t known. When it became obvious that therapy was not enough, she strongly urged me to go to a doctor and seek medication. I’m still on meds now, and the combination of the two help some, though it’s still a long way to go. You may or may not need medication, and your psychologist will help you figure it out.

          I hope that helps! Feel free to ask more!

    4. FutureLibrarianNoMore*

      Yes!

      I ended up starting Prozac, as I couldn’t get myself out of the OCD hole. For some, medication treatment is the best form, but for others, therapy alone will work.

      I did a lot of person-centered therapy versus cognitive behavioral, because I had a roster of other issues to work out. It really helps! For me, we work together to find the most workable solution, and slowly build my confidence to address the OCD on my own.

    5. excori_anon*

      Hi, I have a form of OCD called excoriation where I pick at the skin around my fingers. Body focused repetitive behaviors’ are classified as a form of OCD.

      For me, the first session was used to get a baseline for what I felt my challenges are. (for me that was picking skin without consious thought and ending up with painful fingernails.) Subsequent visits were just about tracking the behavior, trying to find patterns around when my times were “worst” – noticed when I was bored/watching TV when my hands are idle but a lot of things on my mind. You’ll probably be asked to keep a timesheet of what and when the behaviors are you want to stop and maybe also what your thoughts are at the time.

      For me, I’m basically being given a string of fidget toys and other physical things like fingertip grips to help me remind myself not to pick e.g. bandaids around the areas. Meds haven’t come into discussion yet since my therapist is trying to get me to redirect my physical energy first to see if that works. I still have ruminating thoughts which we are going to address in the future.

      Good luck! Therapists are used to patients that come to them out of shame and “i dont know wtf I’m doing, only that I have a problem and need help stopping”.

    6. Almost Academic*

      Therapist-in-training here. Haven’t been through treatment myself, but I’ve treated clients in the past using similar techniques.

      Far and away the treatment with the best evidence base behind its efficacy in treating OCD is exposure-based cognitive behavioral therapy (called Exposure and Response Prevention, or ERP for short). So I would really encourage you to look for a provider trained in this (ask specifically if they do exposure-based treatment, since that’s where a bulk of the good outcomes are from and what works fastest to help you get better- it’s also harder to find than people doing “generic” CBT).

      How the process works (at least at my clinic):
      1. You’ll do some sort of intake. You’ll meet with the therapist, discuss what issues you’re seeking treatment for, how your symptoms impact your life, and devise a treatment plan. A therapist should work with you to address your issues in a way that is manageable for you and will help you get better. It’s okay to ask questions to them about what treatment looks like and how it will progress!
      2. First session usually includes some form of psychoeducation about symptoms of the disorder, what we know about where they originate from, and basically helping you to build a model of your symptoms and “put together the pieces” to see where we can help you. This might include conducting an exposure hierarchy (which is basically things that feel fearful or that form your obsessions).
      3. Subsequent sessions are a combinations of things, including learning strategies for how to best deal with your intrusive thoughts, how to calm your physical responses, and gradual exposure to the things that you fear. This sounds scary to most people, and unpleasant! And at first, it’s hard – not going to lie about that. However, a good therapist will be there to guide you through it and make sure that you’re not being pushed off the deep end or anything. They’ll be able to adjust treatment to make it manageable for you, but it does involve pushing yourself a little. Homework often involves “mini-exposures”, filling out worksheets, and doing mini experiments on yourself (for instance, what is it like if you don’t do a certain behavior? What happens? Does your most feared outcome actually come true? What if your feared outcome happened, how would you cope with that?)
      4. Once symptoms are under control, it’s a great time to do further work on strategies to help you manage other symptoms or issues that you’ve been having, or to discuss how to prevent relapse and what to do if that happens.

      The logic behind it is that when you have OCD, your brain is telling you that you’re in danger a lot (even when you know that it’s unlikely a bad thing will happen). By doing behaviors to minimize these dangers, what you’ve been sending feedback to your brain that it was correct – increasing the likelihood that your brain sends you those signals in the future. Exposure helps to recalibrate your mind to what actually is dangerous to you, to better help you to move forward while still keeping yourself safe.

      Things to help with finding a good therapist to treat OCD:
      1. Ask specifically if they do exposure and response-based treatments. It really is the first line treatment and what gives you your best shot at getting better in the shortest length of time.
      2. Ask them about their process – how do they measure treatment progress? They should be giving you some sort of measures.
      3. Ask them about homework – what does it look like, how do they negotiate this with you? There should be some sort of practice outside of session encouraged to help you master all of the new skills you’ll be learning.
      4. See how you “click” with them – do you feel like you can trust them, like they’re open, and like they want to help you and customize treatment to fit your needs? A good therapist focuses on helping you to reach your goals.
      5. Ask about their credentials – did they attend an APA-accredited school and internship (if they’re a PhD or PsyD or clinical psychologist)? If they didn’t, and they have that form of degree (PhD/PsyD) be very wary of the level of training they received.
      6. Most therapists will offer a free phone initial phone consultation or in-office visit (~15 minutes) to see if you’re a good match, so don’t be afraid to ask for one to see if you’re on the same page and a good match for each other. Once therapy starts, give it a few sessions to see if you’re clicking, but also know that you can always switch therapists or decide it isn’t for you – you’re not trapped in with a single person.

      Hope that helped! Apologies for the novel, I’m just really passionate about helping people access treatment that helps and works.

    7. L*

      I’m in treatment for OCD right now! I’m doing a group course in exposure and response prevention, which is the type of CBT that’s most effective for treating OCD. The idea is to purposely confront your OCD triggers and resist your compulsions, starting with triggers that cause you less anxiety to build resistance.

      It’s really hard but in my experience, just going to a psychologist with no expertise in OCD was not as helpful. There are many kinds of CBT and it should be tailored to your disorder. I’ll post a link below that I used to find treatment in my area.

    8. Janeitenoir*

      I am in treatment for OCD – mostly for maintenance now. I used exposure-response therapy (ERP). During the sessions, my psychologist and I talk about things that triggered me, and how I managed them. We also come up with a list of possible exposures that I can do as “homework” – there’s a hierarchy, so you don’t start with the most terrifying one right away. As something lower on the hierarchy gets less scary, you move up. I’ve graduated from weekly to monthly appointments, and what’s really help is that I do the therapy twice weekly as maintenance now, as the highest level. Still triggering, but nothing I can’t handle. The consistency and determination of your work really affects the outcome.

  11. LDN Layabout*

    Is property hunting designed to make you feel like you want to cry and crawl into a hole forever?

    I’m not even that far in and I’m extraordinarily lucky compared to some people (reasonable deposit/help from family in terms of mortgage) but also it’s London and I hate and love this stupid, expensive city.

    (I could literally leave this place and buy a house in areas that say they’re London BUT DEFINITELY AREN’T YOUR POSTCODES REVEAL YOUR LIES but I don’t want to so I’m going to end up buying a leasehold one bed…)

    1. Cows go moo*

      Yes. House hunting sucks. I don’t know what else to tell you to make this process more bearable. It sucks all around. I still have nightmares about looking for a good property and never finding it.

      1. LDN Layabout*

        Honestly, I’m glad it gives other people the stress too, it helps relax me a little (which is weird).

    2. Weegie*

      I’m awaiting final mortgage approval now, and the whole house-finding/buying process has been so stressful that if get turned down I’m done with house-buying and will stick with renting as the lesser of two evils!

        1. Weegie*

          Thanks! I’ve just spent the day with friends who confirmed that house-buying is indeed awful and seemingly endless, and that validation has made me feel a whole lot more relaxed about everything.

    3. Sp*

      If it’s that important to you to have a ‘real’ London postcode then yeah, that’s pretty much what you’ve signed up for. If it causes you that much stress maybe reconsider your priorities.

      1. LDN Layabout*

        I mean that was mostly fatuous but part of it is wanting to do tube/bus vs. rail, since it’s the system which is less likely to fall apart on a regular basis. It does leave a few spots right at the top of tube lines though, which are being considered.

    4. coffee cup*

      It sounds like you are fortunate to be able to even consider buying in London, and that you also really want to live in London, so I think you just focus on that and see what you can get for your money. Can you bide your time till you find something you like?

      I rent in Fife, and it’s totally fine, but I would love to be able to go property hunting! (I know that doesn’t help you, but I’d love to own my own.)

      1. LDN Layabout*

        I’m right at the start of the process, which might be why I’m overwhelmed by it all to be honest. So the aim is currently within ‘1.5 years’.

        Yes, I am super fortunate, renting in London eats up a lot of my income but I’ve got a deposit due to some less than ideal childhood life events, so that is an instant leg up :/ (Fife is stunningly beautiful though)

        1. coffee cup*

          Yeah, it sounds daunting! Maybe give Location Location Location a call?!

          Sorry to hear about the events leading to the deposit, but hopefully something positive out of that. Fife is nice in places, but if I could afford it I’d be in Edinburgh!

    5. Overeducated*

      Yes, I’m not even trying to afford an address IN Big City Where I Work and the cost and/or compromises of trying to limit my commute to an hour are staggering.

      1. LDN Layabout*

        Yeah, location vs. commute. Honestly, I’m not partnered/family-ed up so as long as the area isn’t too bad, I’d rather have the easier commute and smaller space right now, priorities-wise.

        1. Overeducated*

          That totally makes sense. I do have a family and just don’t want to squeeze into a one bedroom in the city at this point in our lives (even two is tight, and too expensive). But a shorter commute is the most rationl choice!

    6. Seeking Second Childhood*

      It’s miserable even in lower cost suburbs in a less crazy market.
      By the way, my one bit of advice for reducing stress is to pick a property inspector recommended by friends/co-workers not by the listing agent. Cuts out the worry if they’re helping a friend to a quick sale.

      1. LDN Layabout*

        Thank you!

        I’m lucky that a few friends have bought recently so I’ve got a number of people to ask for advice/recommendations.

        1. Seeking Second Childhood*

          Mine obviously didn’t lift the drop ceiling… it covered so much that should have been flagged. (Leaky plumbing right above light fixtures not visible through the drop ceiling eek!) And I didn’t know I had a year to file a complaint against the inspector until 14 months had gone by since closing. :( I try not to kick myself too much, I was househunting right after a death in the family so I know I was not at my best.

    7. Marion Ravenwood*

      Ugh, I’m sorry. We’re planning to start house-hunting again in the next year or so and I am dreading it after last time. So I feel your pain. But I think it is just a matter of perseverance and trying not to get too down-hearted; the right place is out there! Can you do something nice for yourself this weekend to help take your mind off things maybe?

      (Also, if the ‘not London postcode’ properties you’re looking at are in Croydon, I’d say don’t dismiss it out of hand. Granted I’m biased because that’s where I live, and I know it has a bit of a reputation – I’ll hold my hands up and say it wasn’t somewhere I’d considered living initially – but it does have really good transport links, the restaurant/bar/nightlife scene is improving a lot, and is probably the last affordable area in London to buy in. So it’s worth considering even if it might not seem initially like what you want.)

      1. LDN Layabout*

        I was literally defending Croydon last night to a friend when I mentioned it XD it’s one of the few non-London postcodes I’m considering (also looking at right at the top of the map if it’s near Edgware or High Barnet and am getting slightly seduced by prices in Romford…). I also have a good number of friends in South London so that works as well.

        The issue is transport for me, I’d much prefer to do tube vs. rail, especially since hearing the stories of friends on Southern. Also our building’s lease at work expires in a few years and there are rumours about where it’s moving. One makes Croydon perfect, the other would be…hell commute.

        1. Marion Ravenwood*

          Totally get the transport thing. We looked at moving out to Rochester last time around and, whilst it would have been half as much to buy a house there than where we were looking in south-east London (my husband is a born-and-bred South London boy and would never move north of the river in a million years), it would have been about £8k a year in transport for the two of us. I worked out that in something like 15 years, we’d have spent the same on a mortgage in Rochester and transport to London than if we’d just bought here to start with. And that was at a period where Southeastern was going awry constantly, so we were unwilling to take the risk. (Of course, the irony being we moved to a Southern Trains area…)

          That said, I do think one of the advantages of Croydon, or at least the bit where I am, is that there are a number of routes out – we’re at the midpoint of a triangle of three stations, all within 15 minutes’ walk, that go into two different London stations, plus the Overground. And now that Thameslink goes through East Croydon that’s opened up a lot of options. But I definitely wouldn’t want to move anywhere I didn’t have multiple ways to travel now if I needed to!

    8. Not So NewReader*

      FWIW, house hunting made me cry. Looking for a new pup can also make me cry. I don’t know how people manage with doing adoptions, I’d probably be a mess. And that is where I landed, I kept telling myself this is not like waiting for a child.
      Keep going, take short breaks when it gets too harsh. Then pick yourself up and go back at it again. Deliberately work success into your day/week. Chose unrelated activities that give you a small feeling of success in some part of your life.

    9. Tau*

      Hahaha came here to talk about house hunting, as a fellow extraordinarily lucky but apparently not quite lucky enough person. Although at least I’m not looking in London! You have my full sympathies.

      1. Tau*

        although I share my own, very very German, flat hunting woes this week:

        I discovered that I can’t buy any flat that’s currently being rented (which is, like, 95% of them), because German regulations around renter protection are quite something and I would, actually, like to live in my new acquisition at some point in the next decade.

        (In principle I’m totally in favour of strong rental protections, but I just spent ten years living in the UK with the constant fear that my contract wouldn’t get extended – a period which included such high points as “that time my landlord kicked me out one month before I handed in my PhD thesis” and “that time my lease got cancelled on me twice in under a year.” Somehow, I feel like I did this whole thing the wrong way around.)

        1. PurpleMonster*

          Ha, in NZ we got notice that our house was on the market right after Christmas and about seven weeks before our wedding, and had no idea when/if through that period we would have to find somewhere else. It was most stressful.

          In the event, we were very lucky that it was bought by investors who kept us on, but six years on I still get tense remembering that time.

    10. anonfd*

      I just started the process of purchasing a place in an expensive city (though not London). Something I had to immediately come to terms with when I started my search is that I would definitely not find a place that checked off all my boxes. However, I did make sure wherever I put offers on, I genuinely liked and found comfortable. For some reason, my real estate agent initially kept giving me listings for a bunch of basement condos until I finally told him to rule out basements completely – I couldnt see myself living in a basement!

      1. anonfd*

        I also want to take advantage of this discussion to quickly poopoo on investors and how they ruin the housing market. Some of us actually want to live in our purchased property, stop buying up property so you can just rent them out at high prices!

    11. Melody Pond*

      OMG yes it is (designed to make you cry). We finally got our condo up for sale this last week, and we’d been casually looking at houses off and on for the past few months – we’ve seen a LOT of houses, and none that really fully fit the bill.

      Until Tuesday of last week. I found THE one. It’s perfect. It’s my dream house. It feels like home. It’s within our budget. It’s been on the market for 40+ days, so apparently (?) hasn’t had a ton of buyers clamoring over it.

      But we found it literally the day before our own listing went active, and even though we’ve tried to price our own place on the low side, I just don’t see how we could possibly get a pending offer on our own place soon enough to be able to move on my dream house before it gets snatched up. So I’m in mourning. Insert massive tears here. :(

  12. only acting normal*

    A mental health support circle I’m in had fallen fallow for the last year (people didn’t really have the spoons to keep it running). Now an ally (someone with a relative with quite severe problems, but none themselves) has joined and started resurrecting it.
    I’m conflicted: it’s nice that someone with the energy to do so has started arranging meet-ups, but it used to be a ‘closed’ space with only fellow sufferers and now it somehow feels less ‘safe’ to me.
    I guess I’ll see how it goes?

    1. Venus*

      Can you find ways to balance it? Have regular meetups with the larger group, and occasional ones as a subgroup? Take advantage of this person’s offer of time, in added ways. If they truly are sincere, hopefully they will understand having an occasional meeting where the allies don’t attend. I participate in two groups – one is just ‘us’ and the other includes allies and parents of kids with the condition – and some parents are supportive of the restricted group whereas others get mad that we’re ‘exclusive’. But we just want to talk about our issues without feeling judged, or causing parents to worry (we limit what we say in the larger group, in part because some parents have a new diagnosis).

      1. only acting normal*

        At the moment they seem nice but just a bit super-duper-high-energy-enthusiastic!!1!! Which, er, really stands out in a group of anxious depressed people. :-/
        It’s early days though, maybe they won’t dominate as much as I fear. It also depends on the feeling of the rest of the group: if it helps them it helps them.

        1. valentine*

          Simply restrict the group to sufferers. This reminds me of the gross ad with Glenn Close wearing a shirt that reads Sister and her sister wearing a shirt that reads Condition (I don’t recall what it is). They’re…not just both, but equally, sisters. Ugh.

          1. only acting normal*

            Not up to me unfortunately, the group owners had to approve her access to the online bit in the first place. I’d just be bummed to lose the group dynamic we had. Ho hum!

    2. Temperance*

      I think this is super valid. The relative needs different support than you do, and a closed space makes sense for both groups. I wonder if she might be cool making arrangements and then peacing out, if she wants to help.

      1. only acting normal*

        She’s not after support so much as trying to be supportive, which is a good start.

        1. Ada*

          Maybe she’d be open to doing the work to organize and facilitate the meetings but step out for the meetings themselves then? It might not be a bad idea to have someone not struggling with depression/anxiety to do the coordination parts, so the group can be available even if most members aren’t up to it, but they don’t necessarily have to be a part of the actual conversations, it sounds like. Almost like they’d be playing the role of a receptionist in a therapist’s office.

    3. fposte*

      Another possibility is that she is herself suffering and only feels like she can address it through her relative.

      1. only acting normal*

        Not sure. Maybe?
        The group includes some carers, but they share their own problems, not their caree’s. If she’d opened with her own problems it would have fit right in to the normal vibe, so I’m not sure why she wouldn’t.
        The relative isn’t in our group (because geography), but ally’s online introduction was a quite detailed history of relative’s problems and treatment and what she did to support them. I think it put me on the back foot, maybe because we’ve only ever shared our own experiences never other people’s (even though she did have permission to share).

    4. Wishing You Well*

      In my health support group run by medical professionals, non-sufferers were not allowed (not even spouses). I’m sure there was a very good reason for exclusivity.
      Do what makes you feel comfortable.

    5. in disguise for this*

      I’m screaming at you to run! Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun! Ruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun! Can you see me panicking and running around?

      I knew someone who, because they were in a support group class with someone that took advantage of them in the past, lost a letter grade because they finally snapped after all semester of dealing with their presence (They took over the discussion a lot, to my person’s irritation, for example.) and said something not-so-rude (but deserved) to said person, and said person was “so offended”. I’m still mad about it.

      So find another group where you feel safe. Your safety comes first.

      1. Penelope Garcia’s glasses*

        They were graded on being in a support group? I don’t get how that would work?

        But I agree! Trust your gut!

      2. only acting normal*

        Well, that made me laugh, so thanks! :)
        I’ll observe for a bit to see how she interacts, then quietly withdraw if necessary. Just a shame to lose the dynamic we had (although like I said, it was fallow: the real-life portion had effectively stopped and the online was a bit quiet).

  13. Batgirl*

    I need some advice on how to support my very unhappy 11yo niece.
    Her brother hits her to get attention and she nearly lost it last weekend and began screaming at him like she might murder him.
    Initially they both got into trouble but when the facts were ascertained little bro was in big trouble with his father.

    However, when staying with us, my niece has told me and my mother that her complaints about him go unresolved at home. That he keeps her up all night and nothing is done (They only have a two bed which is an issue they’re working hard to resolve).
    I was also alarmed to hear her mother indirectly blame her for the dinner event: ‘Leia has hated Luke since he was born and now he’s just got it into his head that he hates her. She just hates people and she never smiles’.

    I actually really like my SiL but this shocked me to my core. I’m hoping she was just stressed, Leia has been doing more teenager-y style snark of late. But my partner and I had already noticed that Leia is pestered to smile and socialise when she doesn’t want to. I had to dispute what she was saying quite forcefully but I don’t know if it did any good.
    Aside from letting my niece stay and hole up in a quiet corner whenever she wants, (she loves this) have any of you been in a similar situation and what would you have liked? I was thinking of taking her out over the holidays or possibly getting her brother out of the way so she can just be herself around her parents. I’m thinking he needs more adult relationships anyway; you can tell my niece is going to be a sensible young wqoman, but I’m frightened his best traits are vanishing in this dynamic.

    1. Foreign Octopus*

      Definitely give her a safe space to come to when she needs it. Maybe see if you can have her stay overnight for Friday/Saturday so that she gets some breathing space from what’s happening. Let her know that just because people tell her to smile or socialise more doesn’t mean she has to. Basically, just have her back and let her know that you love and support her.

      She’ll remember the love and support when she’s older, I promise.

    2. Marion Q*

      Ugh, I’ve been the daughter pestered to smile and socialise when I don’t want to, so I get it.

      It doesn’t sound like the mother listens her, so I agree with Foreign Octopus that the best thing you can do is to provide a safe space for her. Let her know that she’s always welcome in your house. You can try getting your nephew to sleepover at your place so that the niece can have some time alone with her parents, but if after you do this you don’t see any improvements (or things actually getting worse, like they get into a fight) then giving her safe space may be the best thing you can give.

    3. infopubs*

      Whatever you can do to treat her like an adult, try to do that. Since she’s your niece and you’ve presumably known her since she was a baby, that’s hard to do. I think every teen needs someone who talks to them like an adult; it’s so affirming and powerful. Respecting her need for quiet and privacy is a great first step.

      My mom dated a man when I was 14 and going through the awfulness of that age. He had zero experience with kids of any age and he just acted like I was another person, not a kid. I’ll never forget that. They eventually broke up, but I’m still friends with him over 40 years later.

      1. Batgirl*

        It’s super easy to treat her as an adult, she’s a 30yo in a kid’s body. Since birth, which is why she and I get on. I remember rolling my eyes at the other kids immaturity too.

        1. valentine*

          No, don’t treat her like an adult. Let her be a kid. The smiling BS is making her act like what they think a lady should. They sound sexist, hence the preference for the child assigned male. There’s a good post on Tumble about how kids typecast as “mature” end up risk-adverse and at a disadvantage to their peers who get to try stuff and greet failure like scientists.

          They can solve the bedroom issue by keeping the younger child with them or doing literally anything else and allowing the girl her own room.

          2. Observer*

            The worst thing they could do right now is to have the boy sleep with them. He’s already crossing too many boundaries.

            On the other hand, sharing a bedroom doesn’t have to mean that the two of them have to be at each other’s throats all the time. There are a LOT of kids who share bedrooms who are besties but still manage just fine.

    5. Its all good*

      Yes please take the boy for the weekend of you can so she can have her parents spotlight.

      DH has a cousin. Ages ago when her four kids were young we took two of them, the oldest, for the weekend. We held our breaths, they were pretty bratty. However we had a great weekend. I think they all were in a negative reinforcement cycle. We did positive reinforcement and it was great to see their true selves shining through.

    6. Not A Manager*

      I would definitely take each of them separately as much as you can stand. It will be good for each of them to interact with a loving adult outside of whatever family dynamic is going on, and it will be good for each of the other to have time with parents without the sibling.

      I would try to couch any conversations or counseling that you do with the kids in a way that does not criticize the parents. At this age, it’s probably not helpful for either of them to feel directly adversarial with the parents, and it won’t do you any good if they go home and tell their folks that Aunty thinks they’re full of crap.

      If your niece complains about being told to smile, etc. or if you choose to bring it up, I think it’s best to talk generally about how “some people expect women to present like” this and that, or that women “can be” expected to do more of the emotional labor. Give her tips for dealing with it the same way you would if she were experiencing it from a boss or colleagues – ways to politely push back without destroying the relationship.

      You can also talk generally with your nephew about gender roles and the expectations of men and woman. It sounds like there might be some toxic examples for him as well, that could maybe be kindly deconstructed.

      The hitting is very tricky. I’ve seen lots of sibling relationships where the younger sibling hits the older one due to the nature of their general interactions. It can’t continue past mid-childhood, though, and this sounds like it needs to be re-framed from “sibling quarrels” to “we’re not laying the groundwork for domestic abuse.”

      I would try to counsel the niece to remove herself as much as possible from her brother when he hits her. Not to hit back or scream at him, but to get herself to a safe space and to calmly let her parents know why she’s done that. She’s sleeping on the couch? She’s locked herself in the bathroom? She’s come into their room at night? “I don’t want Brother to hit me and I won’t stay in the same room with him when he does.” Period. If he’s really hitting her to get attention, at the very least she shouldn’t stick around to give him MORE attention when he does.

    7. Myrin*

      If I’m reading correctly, these two are your brother’s children, right? Have you talked with him about this, what you observed, how you feel? What’s his reaction to the whole situation?

      1. Batgirl*

        I have talked to him but without crossing the lines of criticising his partner or his parenting. They both think I intrinsically understand Leia; they say “she’s you reborn”.
        I don’t think they understand that she needs a lot of space and she is made of stuff that will always rebel rather than knuckle under.
        My late father made a point of saying he had some issues with SiL and it caused a lot of drama.
        I know my brother is not happy with the way she kowtows to her male relatives, but he doesn’t dictate to her what she should do about them. She is amazing and it’s always baffling how she manages to forget that in their presence. I am very proud of my niece for side-eyeing this family tradition.
        My bro and I haaate his FiL. He tried to hit on me during my divorce (The day after telling me how much I look like his granddaughter and mooching off his daughter in front of me). My brother really enjoyed my dripping-with-disdain-rejection and my SiL gave him an earfull too.
        They are nice people I am hoping thats enough.

        1. Parenthetically*

          I think the fact that you’re close and that they say stuff like “she’s you reborn” is a BIG starting point. “Hey, since you guys recognize that she’s very similar to how I was as a child, can I tell you what I would have felt/what I would have wanted from MY parents under circumstances ABC and XYZ?”

    8. That Girl From Quinn's House*

      When I was taking child abuse prevention training, “My brother keeps me up all night,” was listed as a red flag warning statement for child on child sexual abuse. I really hate to jump to something that ugly, but I thought it was worth sharing that this abuse could go deeper than just it seems on the surface.

    9. Batgirl*

      Thanks everyone. I was flipping between ‘I’m overstepping’ and ‘Im not doing enough’ and this has been really reassuring as to where the line is.

  14. Loopy*

    Still battling a pretty rough period emotionally. I really *need* to do some meal prep this weekend. My low energy and motivation and exhaustion/stress during the week have been contributing to bad eating, which makes me feel worse (physically and emotionally). I’m hoping to draw on AAM wisdom for what (vegetarian) things can be cooked Sunday and last pretty much through the week. I always worry bout food towards Thursday when I cook it on Sunday.

    I was thinking of a big batch of roasted veggies (roasted carrots, potatoes, mushrooms…?) that can be eaten with some of those morningstar things you throw in the toaster oven. Faux meat isn’t my favorite, but that’s about the level of effort I have right now! I know there’s been a lot of meal prep threads so apologies for the duplication- specifically looking for wisdom on what I can cook that it’ll hold up safely in the fridge the longest run. Thanks all!

    ALSO: whoever suggested looking into Facebook groups when I asked about an Instagram following: THANK YOU. I found one and it’s much easier to sporadically post to without trying to cultivate a following myself.

    1. The Other Dawn*

      There’s a delicious cauliflower fried rice I’ve tried. Just leave out the shrimp. cherryonmysundae(dot)com and search “cauliflower fried rice.” It’s from 2014.

      1. Flash Bristow*

        Ooh that looks great! No idea what coconut aminos is (or where to get it, on a sunday!) but I’ll deffo give this one a go myself – thanks!

        1. The Other Dawn*

          Actually I subbed in soy sauce instead for the aminos. My only option at the time for coconut aminos was Whole Foods and I didn’t feel like going, plus it was a one-time use product, so I just used the soy sauce I had. I believe it’s supposed to be similar to that anyway and the recipe said it could be used. Tasted great!

    2. Lena Clare*

      How about a lentil loaf (Look up Rose Elliott’s recipe, it is ridiculously easy) that you can slice up cold on a sandwich or have numerous meals, including a roast, with gravy on :)

      If I don’t want to cook anything complicated, I find veggie sausages a life saver. I make a veggie breakfast with them for my tea, or chuck then in a pan of vegetable rice, or have banners, mash, veg and veggie gravy.
      I also used to make toad in the hole with veggie sausages when I ate eggs.
      A packet of Cauldron veggie sausages have saved me from many a rubbish tea I tell you.
      But I get that you don’t want to be cooking every night.

      Other than that, anything in a pan is good and can be reheated easily:
      Veggies in a pan with different flavourings – veggie red curry paste and coconut milk for a Thai curry, Indian curry paste and a tin of tomatoes for an Indian curry, garlic chilli and ginger with some soy sauce and sesame seeds for a stir fry, or veggie soup. They’re very often better the next day and can easily be heated up in the microwave, and you can add other things every day to bulk it put bit not feel like you’re having to cook from scratch.

      1. Loopy*

        I’ve never heard of lentil loaf, I’ll have to look into it. I’ll probably go more with the throw everything in a pan with sauce option since that sounds about my speed right now :)

    3. Techgirl*

      Check out the FOK app. It makes choosing meals and creating a shopping list easy. Also, the quarterly magazine just came out with several 30-minute meal ideas.

    4. Seeking Second Childhood*

      I’m a fan of Indian stews because they get better over time…a real incentive for cooking in advance!

      1. Loopy*

        I made one once and LOVED it! But Right now it’s even more effort intensive than I have time/mental capacity for. But I’ll have to firmly lodge this in my brain for fall.

        1. Seeking Second Childhood*

          It can be done on the easy — throw in whatever beans & veg you have, a can of crushed tomatoes, and an Indian spice mix. Or mixed up Indian Spices if you’ve got the loose ones. Broth if you’ve got it, water if you don’t. Meat if you eat it. Even TVP can go in.
          Put a lid on the pot, and leave it on low a long time. Make a lot and it freezes. You can get lazy on a chilly weekend and keep it on a low stove and stir on more liquid if it gets too thick.
          “Pease porridge hot, pease porridge cold, pease porridge in the pot 9 days old.”

          1. Seeking Second Childhood*

            Btw when we do this as a way to get rid of leftovers, everything goes in at once and cooks for a while before we adjust spices. If something is bad, wer pitch it out. But when it’s just a little past its prime, we aď enough liquidd to boil it for 20 minutes to be on the safe side. (Yes my husband & i both grew up with some period of concern over family income….and my mom was a Great Depression kid.)

    5. Kate*

      I suggest mujadera. It’s a Palestinian dish with rice, lentils, and caramelized onions. Cheap, vegetarian, keeps all week, and delicious. Don’t skip the onions.

    6. Jessi*

      A veggie curry? Really easy to make and super easy to reheat, can fill it up with lots of veg and lentils/chick peas/ beans all go well.

      1. Loopy*

        I need to find the right curry sauce for me. I’m so worried about spicy I usually shy away.

        1. Freckles McGee*

          Try a Korma – it’s really mild spice wise, and you can always add more yogurt or cream to adjust the spice levels as well. And there are some really good options for store bought sauce if you want to forego making that too.

          I also recently made a pumpkin, sweet potato and mango curry with coconut milk. The sweetness of the potato and mango really balance out the spices and it’s one of those ones that gets better the longer you leave it. I also blitzed the (not very many) remains on the Thursday and added some additional coconut milk for a lovely lunch soup.

    7. M*

      When we are having a veggie week, I like to make a big batch of chickpeas on Sunday and then prep them into different meals for the week. They always get better the longer they sit. My favorite is to make a big batch of Mollie Katzen’s chickpeas with lemon and ginger with 1/3 of the beans. I make them on Sunday and they stay good a long time so I usually save that for dinner on Thursday or so. I can make some rice and salad to go with them (I shamelessly use those pouches of pre-cooked brown rice!).

      With the rest of the beans I usually make a batch of general tso’s chickpeas or a chickpea and veg curry b/c it works well for dinner and travels well for lunch and with the final third, I make either chickpeas with burst tomato sauce or a chickpea white chili. The chili stays yummy and even gets better as it spends time in the fridge and also travels well for lunch.

      1. Loopy*

        I adore chickpeas and need to use them more like this! I will have to look up at least one of those recipes. I have never heard of doing general tso’s with chickpeas but I *love* that sauce!! Do you have a recipe for that or do you buy a premade sauce?

      2. AlaskaBlue*

        Very interested in the chickpea recipe! I tried google, but was unsuccessful. Is the one I’d need to check out her cookbook for? I am getting into beans and bought the Rancho Gordo 20 big ones, which has two bags of chickpeas in it. On the lookout for delicious recipes to use them in, and lemon and ginger are two flavors my spouse and I really love.

    8. Ada*

      Dal! Moong dal is my favorite, but there are plenty of other kinds if you want variety. If you have something like an Instantpot, you can make a big batch for week with minimal effort, but it’s not much harder to do on the stove.

      1. Loopy*

        I do have an instapot that I dont use enough! Do you have an instapot recipe for this? I’m general much more likely to attempt something with a recipe in front of me.

        2. Ada*

          Here’s my recipe:

          125 grams dried mung dal (washed)
          1/4 tsp turmeric
          1 Tbsp cooking fat of choice (I use butter, but feel free to sub in oil or something else)
          1 1/2 tsp ginger paste
          1/4 tsp garam masala
          1/2 onion
          Salt

          1. Combine dal and turmeric in Instant Pot, along with enough water to cover the dal. Cook on manual for 20 minutes. When it’s done, let the pressure release naturally.

          2. While the dal is cooking, heat a pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Add your cooking fat, and when it’s nice and hot, add the ginger paste and garam masala and stir to combine. Then add the onions and saute until caramelized. Put aside until the dal is done cooking.

          3. Once the pressure on the Instant Pot has released, check the amount of liquid leftover. This is up to personal preference – some like it thicker while others like it soupier. If you feel there’s too much feel free to drain some off. Once you’re happy with the amount of liquid, you can take a potato masher, stick blender, etc. and mash up the dal. Again, it’s to your preference just how smooth you want this.

          4. Mix in the onions and add salt to taste. Serve with rice or flatbread.

          That will get you about 3 servings, but you can multiply as needed. If you multiply, the pressure cooking time remains the same.

    9. OhNo*

      If you’re roasting veggies anyway, I’d say toss a can of chickpeas on the roasting pan as well. That’s my default meal prep that I do almost every week – roasted chickpeas and veggies over rice – and I’ve never had any issues with it lasting in the fridge until Friday.

      If you do have concerns, though, I’ve also had good luck freezing cooked chickpeas and frozen mixed veg into lunch-sized packs. A cup of frozen chickpeas and a cup of frozen veg, microwaved with a little bit of water to steam it, makes for a quick and easy lunch when I’ve been too lazy to meal prep properly.

      1. Loopy*

        I will definitely do this! Adding a can of chickpeas is just the right level of effort I’m looking for haha. Also, thanks for the freezing tip. I wish we had more freezer space. I am seriously starting to like the idea of having an extra freezer to use solely for make ahead things.

    10. The Messy Headed Momma*

      I’m in food service & I can tell you that food, properly refrigerated at 40 degrees or below, will last 7 days. You may lose some quality, but it is still safe to eat.

      1. spiralingsnails*

        Yes, we use dinner leftovers for my husband’s lunches and they are consistently okay at the 5-7 day mark.

      2. spiralingsnails*

        But if it’s just not something you’re comfortable with, you can also freeze individual lunches so you can mix & match at the end of each week!

      3. Loopy*

        Thank you! I needed this assurance! I don’t have much room to freeze things so this is perfect to know.

    11. Red Reader the Adulting Fairy*

      I’ve had some luck with diced tomatoes, black beans, chickpeas, all crockpotted together with some garlic, cumin, paprika. A couple handsful of spinach or kale leaves thrown in at the last hour to cook down, and served over brown rice. Makes pretty good leftovers. (Nerd alert: the recipe is adapted out of a Pathfinder book. :) in my house we call it “Varisian Nonsense”.) When the whole crowd is amenable, I’ve also put smoked sausage and/or shrimp in it as well, but it’s vegan without.

      1. Loopy*

        I will have to keep this in mind though I have no sense of seasoning so I do prefer to find recipes, or I under-season no matter what I do. Too cautious in my cooking style!

        1. Red Reader the Adulting Fairy*

          fair! For me, I do two big cans of tomatoes, one tin each of the beans and chickpeas, I buy my garlic pre-chopped in jars so two heaping spoonfuls (probably equivalent to 4-5 of the little bits that make up a head?), and at a guess, probably about a tablespoon of cumin and half that of paprika? I don’t measure, but the recipe said a teaspoon of each and it definitely did not have enough seasoning, so I increased that dramatically. :)

    12. just a random teacher*

      I used to be in the habit of making a big batch of bean soup and freezing most of it in single portions for later. (I use wide-mouth pint canning jars for freezing – you just take the metal lid and band off before defrosting them in the microwave.) Once frozen, the soup will last pretty much indefinitely, so you don’t have to worry about food safety. You can also rotate which kind of soup you make each weekend so you end up with a variety of different soups to eat each night out of the freezer, but I tend to just eat the same thing over and over again.

      My usual go-to was black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, corn, and tomatoes with chili powder, cumin, and onion for spices. I’d generally do dried beans and cook them all day, but canned beans would defintiely be faster. The ratios are pretty much up to you, but I’d probably do about 2 cans of each kind of bean, one can of tomatoes, and one of corn if doing all canned. (You can lower the salt content by rinsing the beans, although that was one of the reasons I eventually switched to dried beans.) I’ll top each serving with shredded cheese, sour cream, and corn chips.

      1. Loopy*

        I LOVE this idea but soups tend to be my go to when it’s cooler. I wish I could love them as much in the warm weather. I want to because this is absolutely my style but when it’s hot I just cannot enjoy soup that way it deserves!

    13. Double A*

      For breakfast you can make frittatas ahead of time. I’d out onions, sweet potatoes, peas, broccoli in the.

      For lunches lentil soup is heart and easy to makes ahead.

      1. Loopy*

        I adore lentils. I so wish we were not coming out of prime eating soup season. I dont know how weird it is that I only eat soup seasonally?

    14. Folkie*

      Pasta a la Norma is my favourite and really easy. My (cheat) version is:
      Microwave an aubergine for 5 mins, let cool and peel off then skin. Chop the insides into strips.
      Chop an onion, fry in olive oil.
      Chop as much garlic as you like and one chilli (optional), add to the onions.
      Add the aubergine insides, then a tin of tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper.
      Boil a pan of spaghetti while the sauce simmers. Mix the spaghetti into the sauce when it’s done. It’s nice finished with a drizzle of olive oil.
      There are more authentic recipes out there but this one’s quick and easy. One aubergine and one tin of tomatoes usually does enough for two meals.

      1. Loopy*

        I had to Google aubergine, I had no idea it was the proper name for eggplant. Thats for providing the cheat version! I’ll have to google this to get a better picture in my head of it but then I’d totally go with this cheat version!

    16. Alex*

      I routinely keep leftovers in my fridge for a week and have never had a problem. I roast veggies all the time as well, and they keep perfectly well.

      My fave roasted veggies are broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus, but I also love cabbage, kale, or sweet potatoes tossed with onions. I also love a nice roasted tomato, but I always do those separately.

      I also like to roast tofu–while you have the oven on?

      1. Loopy*

        Thanks! I just threw a bunch of veggies into my cart to figure out later. I’ve got potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts (new for me!), cauliflower, broccoli, and I threw in some mushrooms.

        I looked for tofu at my store but didn’t it where I expected and got distracted and left without it. Drat!

        1. Red Reader the Adulting Fairy*

          Brussels sprouts do great tossed with a tablespoon of olive oil, a heaping spoonful of minced garlic, and a couple shakes of Italian seasoning, spread on a roasting pan at 400 for about 25 minutes, give or take. Then top them with a bit of shredded parmesan at the end :) From what you have, you can put cubed potatoes and carrots both in there with them as well, both for the seasoning and the cook time. Also excellent with butternut squash and sweet potatoes!

          (I bet my vehemently carnivorous, anti-vegetable housemate I could get him to not only eat the Brussels sprouts but ask for seconds. He took the bet. I did this, only I used bacon grease instead of the olive oil. He told me that was cheating. I still won.)

    17. Flash Bristow*

      I do salad. Bear with me… when I say “salad” I mean I’ve put together a range of dishes to act as a buffet – carrots and sultanas in orange juice, mixed leaves, sliced tomato and onion in balsamic, stuffing balls, savoury couscous with feta cubes, chunky veg (cucumber, radish etc), and so on.

      These can be used as a buffet, or sandwich filling, or on the side of some pasta, etc etc.

      But if you want to be sure it’ll last, why not batch make things that freeze and then microwave well, like tuscan bean soup, or savoury fried rice, or little cheating pies (veggie stew with a mashed potato topping) etc? I bought a load of plastic tubs on amazon, and as long as theyre heatproof then they’re perfect.

      My husband recently moved to a job with a brief lunch break, so I’ve been doing this kind of thing for him and it works really well. If you do a couple of batches each week you ought to have quite a variety soon!

      Another thing is half hour focaccia. This is a really really easy bread – try this recipe: https://thecafesucrefarine.com/ridiculously-easy-focaccia-bread/

      The version I use (but can’t find, boo!) doesn’t have much proving time: use beer instead of water (Guinness is good…) – that will add to the flavour and help it rise, so you literally just mix everything together in a bowl, put oiled cling film loosely on the surface, let it rise for half an hour / until doubled, tip onto an oiled baking tray, top with herbs / cheese / olives / whatever, and bake. Can’t remember how long, sorry. But it’s not long! Think I’ll spend this arvo trying to remember the details as the friend who gave me the foolproof version I used to use… has died. :(

      Or of course do it the way this recipe states so you put it together when you have time, leave to prove, and pull out to bake when you need it.

      Not only is it easy and tasty but also it doesn’t need fancy equipment or dirty many items. Add some fresh focaccia to some salad buffet or pre-made pasta and you’re away!

      Enjoy!

    18. Batgirl*

      I like to roast a big batch of baked sweet potatoes because they are crazy good for you, remain soft and buttery and are easy to reheat and top throughout the week.
      You can also scoop out the flesh to make hash browns and mash.
      You can then make nice potato skins too. Put olive oil and salt on the skins!

  15. Anna*

    Question for people who draw: when learning to draw, starting at the very beginning (a very good place to start), which is better for practice – drawing a lot of different drawings or focusing on one for a long time?

    1. Curly sue*

      My partner is a professional artist and says: “lots of different drawings, for sure. You want to get a flow going and try out many different things rather than get mentally stuck on trying to do only one perfectly.”

      1. curly sue*

        And a further reply — his life-drawing classes followed a model that he really likes for practice. They started with quick gestures, where the model held a pose for a few seconds and you had to try and scribble the basic shape before she changed pose again. They’d do that for a while, then move to poses being held for a few minutes, then longer poses again. The last half of the class would be the model holding a single pose for two hours (or so). So — lots of quick drawings for warm-ups, then slowly settling in to focusing on detail for one picture.

        1. curly sue*

          I used the word ‘model’ too many times to mean different things. Better: the classes followed a *structure* that he likes…

    2. Lizabeth*

      For me, the eye opener came during college, not so much drawing as “learning to look”. This came during a year of life drawing plus other stuff with one prof. We’d get lectures about really looking at underlying structure of the body during life drawing and that definitely carried over to just about everything else drawing as well. I just wished I had taken more classes with him (his intro to art history was very entertaining as well and we’d drop in to listen long after taking it) So, draw lots but look too. Check around and see if there’s classes locally and ask if you can drop in for one class to see if the instructor would be a good fit for you (much like a job interview!)

    3. Aerin*

      Lots of drawings, definitely. You can spend forever tinkering on a piece of art and never really get it right. Forcing yourself to work quickly (and to call something done and move on) is a really important skill. You’ll get more practice going through the whole process from start to finish, which you won’t get working on a single piece.

    4. WellRed*

      In drawing classes I’ve done both. I once spent three hours drawing eggs, with different lighting, etc. Other times, had 30 seconds to quickly sketch an object.

    5. Mashed potato*

      Draw fruits , doodle imaginary things, draw google image search results, draw things based on how you perceive them

      Draw fan art? Idk

      Don’t ask me about drawing humans or abstract art

    6. Flash Bristow*

      Lots of different. And – although I can’t draw for toffee so you may want to ignore this! – the first thing we did in art class at school (aged about 11) was to take a picture from a magazine, cut out a 3″ square of the detail, glue it onto a large sheet of paper, rule it into 3×3 1″ squares, then rule a really big empty square into 3×3. Now copy the picture’s detail into the large empty space using the rulings of the squares to help.

      For someone who didn’t think they could draw, I could still do this, and it really taught me to *look*.

      Another technique was to copy a picture that you’ve pinned upside down – maybe more of a line drawing? – then turn your version the other way up and see how accurate / recognisable it is.

      Those kind of things got me started and taught me to view things in more detail rather than sort of guessing at what I was seeing, if that makes sense.

      Enjoy drawing, I hope you find it really relaxing.

  16. coffee cup*

    Hello! Happy weekend. Can anyone recommend a great mascara that isn’t irritating to eyes? I know everyone is different, but there must be better ones out there than the ones I use, that seem to always itch and hurt me (Rimmel, Maybelline… decent prices, but ouch). I love to wear mascara, so I would love to find a better option. I don’t mind paying slightly more to have less sore eyeballs. I heard Clinique had a good option, but I am open to all recommendations!

    1. Lena Clare*

      Marks and Spencer use the same factory as Clinique, they’re just packaged differently – you could try them first? I don’t know what the mascara is like but their make up is good.

    2. Françoise*

      I use Monsieur Big by Lancome. It’s one of the cheapest by Lancome, lasts very long, has an amazing effect for me – but I don’t know how they work with very sensitive eyes. Can you get a small sample from a store and test what works?

    3. A.N. O'Nyme*

      I’ve found make-up based on plants to be very helpful with these issues. Maybe check out Yves Rocher or something similar.

      1. Anastasia Beaverhousen*

        +1 to plant-based; as well, I’ve found that mascara that *isn’t* waterproof is less irritating, and is also less painful to remove. Unless I’m actually going to be ~out in the elements~ or otherwise likely to need waterproof mascara, I usually stick with non-waterproof, and it does seem to reduce irritation. YMMV, though.

    4. Curly sue*

      I’ve got the same kind of reactions to most eye makeup, and the best mascara I’ve found is a drugstore brand called Couvrance, from Avene. It runs about $15 a tube so it’s pricy, but worth it.

    5. Kuododi*

      I have always had good luck with the Loreal brand of mascara. (Particularly during my contact lense days when *everything* seemed to irritate my eyes.). Price wise it’s a middle of the road product. Best wishes.

    6. CTT*

      I don’t have any specific recommendations, but you mentioned prices; I like buying the travel-sized mini tunes from Sephora that are usually $6-$10. If you want to try a non-drugstore brand without risking too much money, that would be a good way!

    8. Tiara Wearing Princess*

      Doll 10. They have their own website and also sell on QVC. For years I used pricey department store brands – Chanel, Lancôme, Clinique , you name it.

      Doll 10 is under $20, doesn’t smudge, doesn’t flake and I love it.

      Good luck!

    9. Karen from Finance*

      There are so many different styles of mascara, can you go to a Sephora or similar and get assistance trying a few different options? That way you might be able to find one that works for you personally.

    10. Dramatic Squirrel*

      My sister and I both have the same problem. Aldi’s Lacura brand is the only thing my sister can wear. My solution is to get my lashes tinted regularly.

    12. Dr. Anonymous*

      Boots No. 7, least fancy formula (none of this extension and plumping stuff) doesn’t make me itch. Practically everything else does.

    13. Rainy*

      I have pretty sensitive eyes and Urban Decay’s Perversion mascara seems to be the best I’ve used so far. It’s pretty wet, as mascaras go, which is annoying initially, but it dries pretty smudge-proof if you have a minute to let it do its thing.

      One thing that I really cannot emphasize enough is that if you have sensitive eyes, stay away from fiber mascaras. I’ve found that the fiber mascaras, while they look amazing, shed fibers for about 2 hours after application and irritate my eyes something fierce.

    14. Lucy*

      Maybelline mascara gave me eyelid dandruff of the “bloody chunks” variety so I now count it as the least sensitive-friendly brand available.

      I have never found anything that doesn’t itch at all, but I’m currently on a super cheap “essences volume boost” waterproof which is bomb proof. It came from a cheap shop like Wilko or Superdrug iirc.

      I think there will come a point where I’ll admit defeat and see a beauty therapist for a tint/perm/falsies.

      Do you wear mascara for colour or shape? Blonde friends swear by a tint.

    15. San Juan Worm*

      I have allergies to many makeup ingredients. Lush’s Eyes Right has never caused a reaction for me.

    16. OyHiOh*

      I don’t know the originating factory but I’m very impressed with Flower (Drew Berrymore) mascare. Doesn’t flake, easy to take off, stays put while it’s on my face. Plus, the line has a really good strong brown which I prefer for everyday wear.

    17. Plum*

      I had a terrible eye allergy last year and ultimately determined that it was likely caused by beeswax which is in so many eye makeup products, so you might want to check out brands that don’t contain it. It took about eight weeks of not using the beeswax products before the itchiness and redness completely disappeared.

    18. dumblewald*

      For drugstore brands, try Physician’s Formula. Their products are least irritating out of most drugstore brands.

    20. What the What*

      I like Clinique. Plus a small size mascara is usually included in their “free gifts with purchase.”

  17. The Other Dawn*

    This might sound work-related, but it’s really computer-related.

    My job gave me a Surface, which is my “desktop” PC for work. I don’t have a tower. (This really threw me off when I was trying to plug in my big ergonomic keyboard and couldn’t find a tower–no one told me the Surface *was* my tower.) So I want to be able to use this at home with my big monitor, ergonomic keyboard and mouse. (I have VPN capability on it.) Normally I’m pretty good at tech stuff, but I can’t seem to figure out how to do that. I want to be able to use my home computer, which is a tower, and not have to plug and unplug multiple things every time i want to work from home. I know there’s a Surface dock I can buy, which is the same I have at work, but it’s $130+ and I really don’t want to spend that if I don’t have to.

    If it helps, my monitor plug is DVI, mouse is wireless and the keyboard is USB.

    2. Harriet*

      The different Surfaces have different ports to plug stuff into, but most don’t have many and none will have one for your monitor. Which ports they have depends exactly which one you have – is it a tablet style with floppy keyboard cover, traditional laptop, or laptop where you can detach the screen?

      I think the only way for you to avoid unplugging and replugging stuff in will to be to get a dock. If you have one of the bigger Surfaces you might have a USB-C port, which means you can buy a cheaper dock than the branded one.

      For the others, they’re also short on USB ports to plug stuff in to. Your wireless mouse either has a little dongle that goes into a USB port to connect it, or will connect via Bluetooth – do you know which? If it’s the USB dongle I’d suggest getting a USB extension cord which will be miles cheaper than the dock. If it’s bluetooth it will be able to connect to the Surface. You might also want to get a Bluetooth wireless keyboard and/or mouse to avoid needing to plug that in.

      I think Surfaces only have mini HDMI ports for monitors (some of the bigger or older ones may have full hdmi). You should be able to get a converter to plug onto the end of your monitor plug and then go into the Surface.

      1. The Other Dawn*

        It’s the Surface Go with the detachable keyboard and pen. Keyboard is way too small for my hands so it sits in my bag.

        My mouse has the USB dongle. And yes, I’m thinking I need a converter plug for the monitor. I just want something where I don’t have to go through a whole lot to hook it up at home, but I may have to. It’s not like I’d work at home very often anyway.

        1. Harriet*

          It’s the biggest drawback of the Surfaces imo – I adore mine but the lack of USB-C which means their very expensive dock is the only one that works is a real pain. I work from home at least once a week and should probably just give up and buy the dock.

          Depends on your IT setup, but could you just VPN in from your existing desktop tower and bypass the Surface entirely?

          1. The Other Dawn*

            I’d have to check with IT. I’d love to be able to do that. That’s how it worked at my previous company. We’d just install the software and get a token. From what I’m seeing, too, the Surface users are always having some sort of VPN connection issue. It took a week for them to figure out why I couldn’t connect to it.

            I do like the Surface, but I feel like it’s similar to an Apple product in that you can only use their specific devices, connectors, etc, which is why I no longer use an iPad.

    3. The Cosmic Avenger*

      With desktops and full-sized laptops, I’ve gotten quite fond of KVM switches (keyboard, video, mouse). While you would still need to hook your Surface Pro up every time, you wouldn’t need to touch any cables for you home computer after the initial setup, so it would make it a lot easier to switch back and forth, you just press the button to switch which one has “control”. You would still need either a dock or all the same adapters, but it would definitely simplify things in the long run. (Also, the ones I’ve used have one USB port to each computer, and the keyboard and mouse plug into the switch, so it should just be one video cable and one USB cable to plug and unplug each time.)

    4. BRR*

      Would a USB port hub work? You can plug all of your other USBs into it and just have to move the one cord from the hub. They also make usb to dvi adapter.

      1. SaaSyPaaS*

        That should also work. If I was making the purchase and didn’t have a personal Surface device (and work wouldn’t provide a 2nd dock for home), that’s the route I’d take. A quick Google search should provide OP with a few reviews/prices of USB hubs that have been tested with the Surface.

    5. SaaSyPaaS*

      I would ask work to see if they’ll provide a Surface dock for home. I’m pretty sure that all of the Surface docks use the mini display port, so you will probably have to ask them to provide a DVI to mini DP adapter (less than $10 on Amazon). If they want you to use the Surface at home, it’s reasonable to ask. I’m in IT, and our department will approve requests like this. It’s not a big deal at all. I wouldn’t purchase a Surface dock for home unless I had a personal Surface device. This is a cost your employer should cover.

    6. The Other Dawn*

      Just thought of something. Is there a way to connect my Surface to my home PC and be able to access the Surface still? I don’t even know how or if that would work. I’m normally pretty good with tech and this thing is making me feel dumb!

    7. Observer*

      What you really want is called a KVM although you may also need a dock as well.

      What the KVM does is it allows you to attach one keyboard / mouse / monitor to multiple computers. Depending on the KVM you may just be able to plug the Surface in, if it has a USB port.

      1. The Other Dawn*

        Yes, I’ve used those before, years ago. I’ll have to see what I can find. I really wish it was just a tower at work and a VPN client to install at home. So much easier. I see why they have Surfaces, but the screen is so tiny as is the keyboard and it’s just not useful for the type of work I do.

  18. Bibliovore*

    Oh, my achey bones. It’s a bad day for my body and I had so many plans. Breakfast out with a friend, a juried art show. Sitting up waiting for the meds to kick in hoping for the best but trying to accept if I don’t get to do what I want.

    2. Flash Bristow*

      Sympathies, I hate it when that happens. It’s when you find who your friends are, isn’t it? They either rally round and reschedule or they get impatient.

      And it’s not like having to take it easy and be strict with yourself is fun or something you do by choice!

      I hope you’ve got some good support – and that you feel better soon.

  19. Good Night, Sweet Prince*

    Warnings ahead for mentions of death, suicide, and similar heavy topics. (Allison, if this is too heavy for your blog, feel free to remove it.)

    Why do we find death so inspirational?

    A few months ago, there was a mass shooting in my city. One of the most prominent stories that came out of it was a victim who charged the shooter with only a trash can as a shield. She was killed but her actions bought precious moments for others to escape.

    Last night, a semi-internet celebrity on Twitter, Tony Dogbomb, who was diagnosed with ALS last year, took his life while he was still in physical control of his fate, to not prolong his suffering by the disease. In the time before his end, he inspired over $100,000 Of donations to ALS research.

    In both cases, so many people say how inspired they are by those who have left this world and they wish to live their lives as those they honor. It’s true; those two stories are incredible, of bravery against impossible odds and pain, of choosing their own endings. But why do we all say ‘the ending of that person was incredible, I need to live my life to even a small degree of theirs’? It often feels like hitching your ride to a big current story rather than a genuine need to change.

    Maybe I’m a bit doubtful of how people can change. Five years ago, I spent several months in a volunteer program overseas, helping in a third world community. My friends and family said it would change my view of the world so much and live my life entirely differently. While I do feel like I appreciate my privilege and standing in the world, simply by the means of my birth, I don’t feel like my entire philosophy of life has changed. I still donate the same amount of time and money to charity as before, while also saving for me to go on vacation. Maybe if I’d truly been transformed, I would stop doing vacations or other things that are purely luxuries and give everything outside of my basic needs to charity, but I admit that I’m selfish enough to have wants fulfilled even if that money towards a night at the movie theater could feed a family overseas for a week.

    I don’t know if this ramble made sense, I would certainly never say that the deaths of these two individuals were in vain, but I do wonder why we as a species are more inspired by those who have died rather than those who are still here to tell their own stories.

    1. Marion Q*

      I can’t answer your main question, but I don’t think it’s fair to say that you weren’t transformed by your experience. If by spending those months overseas lead you to appreciate your privilege, then it has transformed you to some extent. I think there’s a problem in general that we only count extreme transformation as the one true transformation, but that’s not realistic and leads to all sorts of problems.

      Also, luxuries are relative. You think that going on a vacation is a luxury, but as a third world citizen, my having my own bathroom in my house is a luxury. There are others around me who have to share communal bathroom. And if I stop doing things that are considered as luxuries, then I’d have to sell my laptop, cellphone, move to a smaller house, and other things.

      There are research that shows that we humans have limited bandwidth to care about issue/causes. That’s why the lower the number of victims, the harsher the punishment of a killer would be. That’s why a death is a tragedy, but a million death is a statistics. That’s just our nature, I guess, and having this unattainable ideal that we have to support all causes is unhealthy.

      (Also, is your username a reference to Interview with the Vampire?)

        1. Marion Q*

          Just googled, and yes, apparently the IwtV version is a modified version of the Hamlet one. I was only familiar with the IwtV one. Another reason to start reading Shakespeare then!

      2. Kuododi*

        That reminded me of when DH first returned from his time in West Africa as a Peace corps volunteer. He was in orientation to start his MDiv at seminary. The staff person was explaining to his group how housing on campus was a bit *primitive.* DH responded by asking if the dorms had running H2O, electricity and flooring other than dirt? If that was the case then as far as he was concerned…dorm life would be the lap of luxury!!!

        1. Marion Q*

          In high school I spent a week doing charity project on a village on the outskirts of my city (so it wasn’t like it was a remote area or such), where the house I stayed in didn’t have running water. To shower, my friends and I had to walk to the communal bathroom, which had walls but not a door, so we took turns showering while the other two stood in the doorway to preserve our modesty. It certainly reminded us of how privileged we were to have bathroom and running water in our houses.

    2. Not So NewReader*

      Why do we find death so inspirational?

      A good chunk of that answer might be because of the finality of death. Done. Over.

      And how many millions have passed before us? Did their lives mean anything? Does anyone even remember them?
      Some folks find relief in thinking about the after-life. Some folks believe we keep coming back. Some folks believe we have to do our best now because this is it, this is all we get.
      And some folks struggle from the moment of birth to the moment of death. What is up with that? Why does that happen? How do we allow this?

      Selfishness has nothing to do with wealth. People who are very poor can still be selfish people. If you look back on stories out of WWII concentration camps, there were selfish people there, too, who turned in family and friends for their own gain. So selfishness has nothing to do with living conditions, either. People can be in dire conditions and still commit selfish acts. Selfishness can go in anywhere.

      Taking one step back for a moment: Different deaths hit us differently. I had an aunt who was never married and never had kids. But she knew all about being married and all about having kids and could not wait to tell you how wrong you were. I did not cry much when she died. I did not feel that connected to her for reasons shown here. Going the opposite way, my health fell apart when my father died. I mourned his suffering in life as well as his passing. I was connected to my father in ways that I was not connected to my aunt. Different deaths hit us differently.

      Going one step forward: Some news articles make me cry. I say a little prayer for the families because I am so moved. Other news articles do not hit me so hard and I go on to another article. Why. Some situations can feel like there is more of a connection than other situations. Even if we can’t articulate what that connection might be, we do know that the situation causes us to pause for a moment. Or we catch ourselves reading follow up articles to find out more. That’s pretty normal stuff. I always think that is why there are so many people on this planet. Because some where someone’s setting resonates with other people and they help/support in the ways that they can.

      I do agree that most of the time people are not moved to making life changing decisions because of tragedy. I think the changes come in softer, more subtle ways. Matter of fact sometimes the changes are so soft that we don’t even realize we have changed. Sometimes we have to wait for a cumulative effect, as our sadnesses compound we start to recognize where we want to put our energies/money. Our lives and our thinking definitely do get shaped by our experiences and insights. It’s a process and it happens over longer periods of time. Confusingly we can change, saving puppies might be our passion for years then suddenly we decide that it is more important to do Other Thing Over There, and we shift. Shifts can be indicative of a maturing world-view. Or shifts can be caused by something that impacted us personally in a huge way.

      Happily, I can argue that things you are seeing and experiencing ARE indeed impacting you. The evidence is right here. You are questioning, seeking, wondering…. This is it. This is how it happens. If you were a truly selfish person you would not be able to think or ask about these things. Purely selfish people cannot do this. I’d like to encourage you to follow your path. Keep asking questions of yourself, keep reading and keep thinking.

      I will be 60 next year. What happened– I was 30 yesterday, I think. I am still loaded with questions. Instead of having less I have more. I can only conclude that if we are thinking about what we are seeing around us that can ONLY result in having more questions not less.

      Let me try to put this together, of course, YMMV and other people will have better ideas. So people are suffering all around us in various ways. Most of us have things about us that are selfish. Some selfishness is necessary to ensure our survival, some selfishness is not necessary at all. It is possible for individuals to have a sense of tragedy and sense of selfishness at the same time. That is NOT the same as saying we are not impacted by a loss or a tragedy. And one more wrinkle, just to keep us on our toes, we cannot measure impact. We don’t always recognize a life changing event in the moment, sometimes we don’t figure it out until years and years later if at all. When we start to try to measure impact of life’s events and experiences the wheels totally fall off. There is no measuring tape that tells us how much something has changed us. It’s not an instant thing either, it’s a life-long journey.

      To me, your friends and family were using often-repeated generalities but they are not YOU, so they don’t really know where your experiences and life events will take you or to what degree each event or experience will impact you or shape you. They are relying on commonly said generalities, that may or may not apply to you specifically.

    3. Wishing You Well*

      Concerning your vacation dilemma: the world has the bandwidth and the NEED for both charity and luxury. A well-rounded life includes both. Balance the two according to your own internal meter.
      Every healthy human is selfish to a degree. It’s the extremes that need to be avoided.

    4. Observer*

      I think you underestimate “small” changes. Like, understanding your level of privilege sounds like a small thing, but it can actually be huge. You don’t need to stop going on vacation, but think about it. I’m sure that you think differently about a lot of things in ways that have spillover effects. Like if you think that “most poor people are lazy” isn’t so unreasonable, you’ll vote one way. Now that you know that it’s actually a totally ridiculous thing, it will affect how you vote, no?

      Also, I think what people are saying with the “Honor the fallen” is not the death per se is inspiring. But, their behavior is inspiring and the fact that those people cannot continue to do the things they have been doing puts a bit more obligation on them than otherwise.

  20. Whistle*

    My husband and I are American, and he has the opportunity to apply for a transfer to a different branch of his company that’s in the UK. (In Gloustershire, specifically.) We’re thinking about it really seriously, as we’ve always wanted to live abroad for a few years, but I’m worried about my ability to make friends while we’re there. My mother is from another country, and I also work entirely in a second language that I became fluent in while I was studying abroad, so I have some cross cultural experience, but both of those cultures are actually more direct than American culture. I’m very nervous about living somewhere that is known to be less direct and more reserved.

    Are there any Americans here who have experience with working in the UK? Any Brits who have lived in the US or befriended an American?

    1. coffee cup*

      I wouldn’t be too worried. In some places it can be more reserved here, but that’s not universal! There are many different types of people in the UK and you’re bound to meet some you get along with. I lived in the US for a summer and it was great, although I think I bonded better with the US colleagues I had than the English colleagues I was thrown together with. Nothing to do with them being English (I’m Scottish), but they were clique-d together, whereas I loved getting to know people who lived there – that was the whole point! The girls I met were so friendly, they invited me places and made me feel welcome. I don’t keep in touch with them much now (was over 10 years ago) but I will never forget their kindness.

      If you do move, I suggest looking for meet-up groups in your area, as they’re great ways to meet like-minded people :)

    2. AvonLady Barksdale*

      Here’s my first thought: it’s tough to make friends anywhere new, so why not go on the adventure? American culture, as you know, is not a monolith, so if you moved anywhere new it would be an adjustment. I mean, shoot, it would probably take work to make new friends where you live now. Remember that not all Brits are the same; some are more reserved, some are definitely direct. I would recommend visiting once or twice before making your decision, but don’t let the work of making friends hold you back if you really want to make the move.

    3. Anastasia Beaverhousen*

      I actually have always found Brits to be very friendly; I’m Canadian, not American, though. But the UK has definitely been more friendly then, say, France or Denmark, including random people striking up conversations in shops, etc. I haven’t lived in the UK long-term, only a few weeks at a time, but I’ve had a few British colleagues, who were really quite friendly. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. (And while people like to complain about the weather and food in the UK, there are actually some really excellent restaurants; and in Gloucestershire, you’re not too far away from both Cornwall and Wales, which are both gorgeous, with really mild weather. Cornwall actually reminds me of Central & Northern California, what with the rugged coastline, palm trees, mild weather year-round, and a selection of really fabulous restaurants – and I say that as someone who lived in Cali for a few years.)

      1. cat slave*

        I’m Canadian, but lived in the UK for several years. My advice for making friends in the UK would be the same as for anywhere: find people who are doing a *thing* and join them, even if it’s not what you would ordinarily do – rowing, cycling, amateur theatre, bird watching, pottery class, drawing. Put yourself in the path of friendship.

    4. misspiggy*

      My mother in law, who is the typical reserved English lady, has befriended several foreigners while they’ve been living near her. My theory is that being from overseas frees people in reserved cultures from local norms, and much more openness ensues.

      If you join something like a history or cultural group, and make it clear you’re keen to learn all about local things, you will probably find people come out of their shells all around you. Just follow the rule of never criticising your host country even if British people do, and you’ll be fine.

    5. Venus*

      I have lived in a few different places, and my experience depended upon:
      1. How many people spoke the same language as me? I lived in a place where only my colleagues spoke English, and it was quite difficult. I know several colleagues moved to another country which had a lot more people who spoke English, because it was much healthier for them. I don’t want to sound dismissive of other cultures, just that it’s very hard to socialise with people when you can’t speak with them, and if you are limited to 15 people you can communicate with effectively and some of them aren’t very nice…
      2. How many people are ‘from away’? Locations where people never move into that area are different from those where there are all sorts of newcomers. I don’t know much about Gloucestershire, but if they have a lot of tourism, or maybe Wikipedia can give you the ethnicities? Those can be indicators of a diverse and changing community.

    6. TL -*

      I live in NZ, which has very different cultural norms around directness and bringing up problems in general. I definitely get some foreigner leeway, occasionally it bites me in the rear, and sometimes it works in my favor. I’ve noticed the Americans who stay here long term tend to be much more inclined towards these cultural norms naturally (there are a few exceptions). But most of the time, it’s not that big of a deal – you adjust, your friends will adjust.

    7. Sprechen Sie Talk?*

      I’ve lived and worked in the UK now for over 5 years, and in total over 7. I’ve never lived and worked outside of London, however, though I have traveled around the country quite a bit.

      I would suggest that in London it can be easy to make new friends but then easy to lose friends too – people move areas, jobs, etc as is true with any large expat group. I have a lot of British and non-British friends and most of my friends have either come from work OR from doing activities. Get out and get involved with the local area – maybe a volunteer group or join an athletic thing or get a small job (depending on visa). Gloustershire is a really pretty location so there must be lots on, although I would be a little nervous about a car and driving being required to get out and do things.

      One thing I would note, though, is that it takes time to get to know people and for them to accept you as a friend beyond a “lets go have cake and coffee after “. I think that is where the “reserved” thing may come into play. People will talk to you, but it may be some time before you get to a deeper level of friendship, especially if you are only staying for a few years. The British can take a while to warm up, so go slow, don’t be overly enthusiastic when first (or second!) meeting – in America we may automatically find out someone’s life story immediately but here that would be a bit much and something for many subsequent conversations. It doesn’t mean they aren’t curious, they just operate to different level of intimacy development timeline, for lack of a better phrase.

      Drinking culture, especially after work, is very much a thing here and that can usually be the best place to start to build relationships. It’s like after a heavy night out there is some new invisible bond between you and that person. I still have lots of friendships from a former job where we did go out for drinks all the time, but at my current job where my team never goes out – I have far fewer friends, but those that I do have we’ve gone out a few times together. I did struggle with directness because I am very direct, but then I said screw it and just am who I am. It may have turned off a few people but most just assume its an American thing.

      I wouldn’t worry too much about the making friends part, treat it as an adventure and to achieve something you’ve always wanted to do, and figure out in advance some potential activities you would like to do to get out and about. Be aware too that a car may be a good idea to have in a more rural (and pretty!) location so you can get around as well – learning to drive and pass a test here can be a bit of an ordeal, but it would give you so much more freedom and options. Finally, look up the UKYankee forum for more advice as I know there are quite a few members living out that direction.

    8. US UK US transplant*

      We did this! My husband and I moved to the UK from the US for three years. We had a great time. It can be a little rough at first, we were pretty dependent on each other for company at the beginning. It can be tough to meet new people at first. We ended up in a neighborhood that was full of expats (American, Finnish, Danish, Italian, German, Greek) wholly by accident. Enough of them were friendly that we had a group of pretty awesome folks to hang out with. I did make a few local friends, but it’s a lot harder to break into established social circles. Expats are more open to meeting new friends in general. I’m not sure how big the company is that your husband works for, but if it’s pretty big, there may be a nearby town with loads of company folks. We specifically decided NOT to live in that town, but it could potentially work for you guys.

      Also, it’s worth noting how ridiculously cheap and easy it is to get to continental Europe.

      One thing that I would recommend is to look at the major transit links and try to be near one. Taking the train is so chill and makes things easy. Good luck!

  21. A.N. O'Nyme*

    Writing thread! How’s everyone’s writing going?
    Still didn’t get anything done this week, but heading to Edinburgh (AKA the city of literature) next week. Bookshops will be visited :).

    1. Foreign Octopus*

      So jealous that you’re heading to Edinburgh. I lived there for about six months after university and it was just a lovely city. I do miss it.

      My writing’s going well. I’m posting a continuing work online every week to get feedback and although I don’t feel as though I’m going to finish the chapter in time, I always manage it and it’s a nice feeling. I also wrote a short story last night in about 20 minutes. I was scrolling through a list of prompts and one just took hold of me. I thought about leaving it until today but then decided that I wouldn’t do it if I left it so I tapped it out and I’m pretty happy with it as short stories aren’t really something I’m comfortable with.

    2. Claire*

      I was under the weather earlier in the week, so I didn’t get as much done as I wanted. But I did plow through the page proofs for the pirate novel and my corrections will go back on Monday–well before the deadline–and I got several key plot points worked out for the sequel.

      And ooooo, Edinburgh! That sounds like a lovely trip.

    3. Aerin*

      I’m going to Edinburgh this summer! Super excited, especially since I’m gonna be there during Fringe Festival. (Which totally wasn’t planned, since we’re primarily going to the UK for Worldcon in Dublin.)

      I finished the first draft of my novel in December (after four sodding years), so now I’m up to my eyeballs in research. I think I’m close to being ready to start the second draft, but I really need to get my hands on a good, accurate map. Might be time to send another email to the National Archives.

      And we had a Writers Digest workshop last weekend, which my critique partner came to town for. So that was fun, even if I didn’t really learn anything new.

      1. Clodagh*

        I tried to scroll past this comment but my national pride wouldn’t let me ;) Dublin’s not in the UK!

    4. Thursday Next*

      I’ve been doing the NaNoWriMo camp with a modest goal of 200 words/day. It gives me a boost to exceed it daily!

    5. Cindy Parker*

      I’ve just written the first draft of the first chapter for a story!
      I had to write it beginning – end – middle but it is done! I haven’t written in five years and it is so exciting to begin again! :D

  22. A.N. O'Nyme*

    I asked this last week but I’ll ask against in case more People see it: heading to Edinburgh next week (8 hour train journey, woo!). Any recommendations for bookstores and (retro) game stores I should visit?

  23. writing groups*

    Have you ever joined or started a writing group? There are writing meetups but there are different people every time, and while it’s good on some level since you get different outlooks, it’s not as conducive to growth on another, since you have no idea where the people re coming from, and I will not bring my most personal work in draft form to show a bunch of strangers. There are some established groups that are full. I’m new at this so would rather join one, but any ideas on how to engage with either would be appreciated.

    1. Weegie*

      I’ve been in multiple writing groups, and they’re all different! It really is a case of trying them all out until you find one whose format suits you, and whose members you can get along with. I really miss the last one I was in (I moved out of the area), and there was one many years ago that I liked, but the others have been a mixed bag of ‘meh’, ‘not quite right for me’, and ‘who are these deluded egomaniacs?’

      I would avoid meetup writing groups for the reason you mentioned – they’re usually not stable enough.

      One thing you could do while waiting for on of the groups to have an opening is to take a writing class, if there is one available: you might find some people there who you could start a group with. Or get involved with Camp Nanowrimo, which is on right now: there might be a local group which holds weekly write-ins that you could attend.

  24. Marion Q*

    Is Brexit banned as a topic here? I seemed to remember Alison offering to ban it in an open thread a few weeks ago, but I don’t know if it actually gets banned or not.

    1. only acting normal*

      I think it was banned under the politics umbrella?
      Given how hugely divisive it is, and how any discussion tends to devolve far and fast, and how high tensions are right now… I think banning was a very good idea.

        1. Sam Sepiol*

          US politics are. I don’t think a decision was made on Brexit/UK politics – or Alison is that wrong?

          1. Flash Bristow*

            Eek, I may have inadvertently fallen foul of the limitation on politics in the past (tho as a brit I was only commenting on our own). If so, I apologise. Is there somewhere where “topics which are off topic” are documented, please?

            That said, I’ll be thrilled if we do restrict Brexit chat… because it’s hard to avoid pretty much anywhere at the moment here in Blighty! Soooooo full on, and whichever way you look it’s a total fu –

            – eek, sorry. I’ll shut up!

  25. Pondering big changes*

    Posting anonymously so y’all can weigh in on my major life decisions! My husband and I are house hunting because it looks like we’ll stay in this area at least a few years, so best to get into the housing market if and while we can. The only places where we aren’t completely priced out, but don’t have strong reservations about the schools at all levels, would be a big lift financially – most of our non-retirement savings to down payment and closing costs, and the increase in monthly payment eating up most of the raise I just got. This is not a “buy because it’s cheaper than renting” area.

    And suddenly, the newest wrinkle: I’m pregnant! Yay! This will be kid#2, so on the one hand, more motivation to get out of a small apartment, not move with a baby again, and be in a place we can feel settled. On the other hand, day care is expensive. I’ve run the numbers and it looks feasible, but we might not be able to save much of anything during the <1 year with both kids in care.

    So…is this just too much? Is buying a house and having a baby without a substantial savings reserve (beyond a small emergency fund) a really bad idea due to potential house repairs and medical costs? I had amazing health insurance with baby #1 and paid very little for either of our care, so I still feel ignorant about the expense.

    The alternative is to keep renting as long as possible, I guess, and look for jobs in a more affordable place if the market doesn't crash in the next couple years. My career has a lot more opportunity here than anywhere else, though. Thoughts?

    1. Anastasia Beaverhousen*

      I feel like this depends partly on where you are – and particularly what kind of safety net exists there. How much *is* pregnancy & childbirth going to cost you? What happens if there are medical complications?

      On the flipside – there’s never really a *right* time to have a baby, and there may never be a better time to buy a house. At least with putting money towards a mortgage payment, rather than rent, you are getting better value for your money.

      1. Pondering big changes*

        I guess I should check my health care policy, huh? I think birth itself coats a few thousand, and the OOP max isn’t comfortable but it isn’t insane either. As far as safety nets I do have a non-shared savings account from before my marriage (which I jokingly call my “divorce fund”) that I could draw on in an actual emergency up to the OOP limit, and frankly, family who would offer to help without being asked if we were really in trouble. (Yes, we’re lucky.) But rebuilding shared savings post-house and pre-baby would probably mean not meeting our retirement savings goals this year.

    2. My Brain is Exploding*

      Argh. I replied but it didn’t get in this thread. What’s the procedure here? Do I repost here? Redirect? Reply to my reply? Grovel?

    3. fposte*

      I would at least explore the rental market. Some of this decision will depend on the exact numbers you’re talking about, but there are plenty of places with stable rental markets where you could get a bigger apartment that you’d be happy in for, from what you say, less than it would cost you monthly to buy.

      When you say most of your non-retirement savings would go to a down payment, what percentage are you looking to put down? If it’s below 20%, how long would it take you to save 20% to avoid PMI?

      1. Pondering big changes*

        We have been renters in this area for a few years already. Our rent is lower than a mortgage would be, but for significantly less space; renting houses is as much or more than the mortgage (but you don’t have maintenance costs…or appreciation). An equivalent cost would be possible by moving even further out but I’d be signing up for a 75-90 min commute, which is more than i am ok with having small kids.

        We’re planning to put down 20% to avoid PMI and have a lower monthly payment. That just doesn’t leave a lot left over – after moving costs, maybe a 2 month emergency fund if we had zero income coming in, so we’d focus on rebuilding that rather than retirement savings before the baby.

    4. Anongineer*

      My husband and I just upgraded from a townhouse to a single family home in a HCOL area – partially motivated by last year’s quickly rising and competitive home prices. We were anxious to get into a single family home before we were completely priced out. We spent most of our non-retirement savings, but unlike your situation, we can afford to pay the mortgage and rebuild our savings pretty easily. Except, the housing market cooled as soon as we bought the new house and we’ve been carrying both properties for six months, which means we haven’t been rebuilding our savings, with hopes of selling the townhouse within the next few months for significantly less than we had initially anticipated. While we’re happy with the house we are in, and we don’t seem to have lost much value (since we bought close to when the market began cooling), I’ve seen homes go on the market that I get house envy over that would not have been in our price range last year, but are now. Plus, we are unexpectedly facing job changes (for both of us) that might make another move necessary.

      Anyway, I guess this is all to say that 1) it’s really hard to know if you’re actually going to end up being priced out of the market by waiting, even in a HCOL area, and 2) you really never know what kind of unexpected costs will come up. If I were in your shoes it’d be a really hard decision for all of the reasons you list, but buying the house seems way more risky than waiting …

    5. Not A Manager*

      I can’t tell you what to do, but I can tell you not to assume that your new house will always appreciate in value.

      I’m a “worst case” kind of gal. If the worst happened – let’s say pick one of the following: Job changes that force you to sell your house and move; temporary unemployment; unexpected expenses due to health or home maintenance – would that be better or worse than a worst-case rent scenario: rising rents, needing to move, small space with young kids?

      1. valentine*

        I’m a “worst case” kind of gal.
        Me too. Do what you would do if you were faced with the worst case.

        I wouldn’t buy or move. I would enjoy the pregnancy and wait for one kid to be in school, then look for homes/daycare (assuming it’s easier to find a single placement than two placements for different ages). Reduce the number of changes happening at once.

      2. Pondering big changes*

        I think the worst case scenario is a recession where the house value goes down to half of what we paid for it (or worse!) and we have to move due to jobs and can’t sell or take a huge loss. That would be really awful. And health emergencies can be expensive enough to send,people into bankruptcy even if they had savings. But, and I don’t mean to be argumentative, isn’t that the worst case scenario for literally everyone who buys a home? It could happen to almost anyone, but doesn’t seem to keep most people renting permanently just in case everything falls apart on a macro economic scale.

        The risks of owning seem much more acute than the risks of renting – the tradeoffs of renting are more cumulative over a long period of time (e.g. if my rent is $2000 a month now, how will I pay an inflated amount when I retire? Or what if my savings can’t keep up with housing prices and I get priced out?), but less likely to send anyone into immediate financial distress. So I think buying is the bigger risk in some sense but maybe a worthwhile risk if you have the resources to withstand acute problems?

    6. spiralingsnails*

      We kept having the housing market move juuust out of reach while we grew from 2 parents + 1 baby to 2 parents + 3 kids in a 2 bed 1 bath <1,000 sq ft apartment. It! Was! Squished!!! We kept monitoring house prices and larger apartments but financially it was better than for us to rent small and keep saving towards a down payment. We finally bought a house last fall and I am so glad we waited. The increase in monthly costs, the additional maintenance expenses of both money and time, and the increased need for emergency savings would all have been much harder to handle back then. (And the sheer TIME it takes to care for a house can be quite a burden if you are buying an older and/or larger place. Time which will be in especially short supply while caring for a newborn.) It also makes it harder to take advantage of other opportunities; like if you decided you didn't want to go back to work for a year or two, could you pay the mortgage on his salary alone?
      Tldr: doable but I would be cautious.

      1. Pondering big changes*

        What have the increased maintenance costs and time looked like for your family?

    7. Anona*

      It sounds like not a perfect time to buy a house, to me. But it’s a personal decision! Or maybe if you do, try to find one on the cheaper end? My husband suspects we may be in for another recession at some point within the next year +. His field is one that’s responsive to stuff kinda early, and he’s seeing some of the warning signs that preceded the last one (previously reliable clients slower to pay their bills), so much so that he’s advised a few friends to wait and see before buying a house.

      1. Pondering big changes*

        Buying right before a recession is really my big fear! (Honestly I’d almost hoped we’d be in one and hitting a buyer’s market by now, but no….) My job is very secure and we could pay the mortgage on one salary, but would have to take kids out of day care, and it would be really really bad timing if we wound up needing to move out of the area and couldn’t sell. But…how long to wait? What’s your husband’s advice? Due to commute and school/day care enrollment timelines we feel some pressure to not wait too long to move.

        1. Anona*

          Just asked him and he’s not sure that there will be one. He says it could be 5-6 years, or sooner, or not at all. I asked him why he’s telling our friends not to buy houses, and he basically said that it’s iffy enough to make him nervous, but still not a sure thing. So take that for what it’s worth!

    8. Thrown into the fire new manager*

      it really depends on so many factors but I can say home ownership is hard. I miss the days of apartment dwelling. My sister says the same thing. We had more time on the weekends and we weren’t dumping money into home repairs. It really depends on where you want to put your money and what sort of home you could buy. If it’s relatively new, you risk less. I’m just giving you something to consider that many people don’t mention in life

    9. Triplestep*

      My career has a lot more opportunity here than anywhere else, though.

      It was your last sentence that had the most resonance with me. I love my city, but there’s not that much opportunity for me here and I spent most of my children’s school years with crappy commutes. I wish I had planned differently.

      You’ve gotten a lot of good advice here, but the most thought-provoking responses to me are the ones that factor in time, and not just money. Like the time you’ll spend maintaining a home with young children, for example. I think the time you might spend commuting while you have young children is an important factor. And the further you are, the more you might end up spending for child care because the kids will be in it longer.

      Good luck and congrats on your happy news!

      1. Pondering big changes*

        Thanks. We did decide to put in an offer after all, in large part because my spouse currently has a pretty untenable car commute since a non-optional job change last year, and the new location would be a bit longer for me and a bit shorter for him. I aired my doubts and he said “ok, but I really don’t want to be in this apartment for a couple more years,” which he hasn’t said outright before, so I think we’re looking at a move regardless. Also, prices have gone up so much in the past few years that we’re legitimately worried about getting priced out even further from the city (of course, if the economy crashes and we need to move we’re screwed, but it feels like buying AND not buying are gambles). So I agree time matters, as well, and am not at all excited about maintenance time, but hoping there will be a net gain for one of us.

  26. Bank of Friendship*

    This is something that usually comes up with my friend group, and maybe I’m putting too much thought into it, but I’m wondering how to tread the financial differences between a friend and myself. She has been having a rough year financially. She is a freelancer in an artistic field and live paycheck to paycheck; she loves her work but it’s very sporadic and more often than not, pays very little. She’s reached a point where she worries most months about paying for her groceries and declines friend outings with a price tag. Recently her car has hit the end of its life and she’s struggling to figure out how to get a new vehicle as she needs a car to get to her jobs (public transport is not terribly helpful in our area).

    I have a job with a reliable paycheck, I recently bought a new car, and I’m currently planning for a vacation abroad. I don’t have the financial struggles my friend does and I’m trying hard not to bring it up in conversation, but it’s difficult when our catch-up talks are her expressing the difficulties she’s having and me having things with price tags on them to talk about, like the upcoming vacation.

    Is it helpful to try and treat her more on our outings so she doesn’t have to keep declining or is that too much treating her as a charity case? Like I want to see the upcoming Avengers movie with her, she’s my favorite person to watch superhero movies with, but she hasn’t been to the movie theater in a while because of her finances. I’d totally buy her ticket for her but I don’t know if it’s insulting to offer or not. I honestly faced a similar dilemma around Christmas where I wasn’t sure if I should get her something fun and silly that would make her smile or get her something actually productive and useful to her life. I found something that was a good mix of both but was definitely putting more bought into her gift than anyone else’s on my list.

    1. HannahS*

      Ask her! Like, “Hey, you’re my favourite person to watch superhero movies with. I know money’s a bit tight lately–can I treat you to see the Avengers movie?” If she says no, maybe offer her a movie night at your place, to watch one of the older ones together. That way, there’s a strong message that it’s not about the money, and it’s not a big deal.

    2. Foreign Octopus*

      So I’m normally the poor friend in this equation and what you do totally depends on your type of friendship. I’m very comfortable telling people that I can’t afford to do things but I’m not at all comfortable letting people pay for me because I feel like it creates an obligation between us and I start to get resentful (this is a me thing, not a situation thing).

      However, I agree with HannahS’s wording. It would be a lovely thing to offer to her but also take into account things like the concession stands as well. That can create a bit of awkwardness if she doesn’t buy anything but you do, so say something like “can I treat you to a night out seeing the Avengers movie?” instead.

      And don’t worry about the things you’re buying. She probably gets that you have two different incomes and is happy for you. It never even crossed my mind to be jealous when a friend went to Peru for three months over the summer or another bought a coat I liked but could never afford. Trust me, she’s so focused on her own finances that she’s most likely not thinking of yours.

    3. Overeducated*

      I think if you do cheap or free stuff with her most if the time, then the occasional offer to pay for both (with such a nice explanation of why her company is worth it!) is fine. Just keep it rare enough that it doesn’t feel like a one way relationship. But talking about stuff that costs money is ok – I’m friends with a bunch of doctors who make way more than I do, they don’t have to hide their lives and i don’t have to be ashamed of mine, it’s just part of us being different people.

    4. Lady Jay*

      So, I’m currently living reaaally close to the margins, among friends who are much freer about how they spend their money, and it’s kind of you to be thinking about this!

      Two thoughts: 1) Sure, treat her to Avengers; I think if you’re honest (“Hey, I know you’ve had a rough year–this is my treat because I love to watch superhero movies with you!”) it will make her feel noticed and appreciated. 2) As much as possible do low-cost/no-cost things. One thing I get frustrated with is when my friends *always* have to be doing something that is cost-intensive: eating at an expensive restaurant, watching a movie, etc. I just want to spend time with my friends–tea at my place or going out for ice cream/coffee is easier on my budget & is a good way to catch up.

      1. Ada*

        Seconding this. An occasional treat will most likely be fine, but making a real effort to find low/no cost things for you guys to do together can go a long way, so the burden isn’t always on her to come up with an alternative she can afford. And who knows, you might stumble on some really great activities you might have never thought of while exploring your options.

    5. Llellayena*

      I’ve got a group of friends where I make significantly more than they do. I’ll offer to cover if one of them mentions it’s a tight week, but I won’t offer every time. And if I recommend something it will either be free/cheap, or I’ll mention the cost so they can decide based on that, or I’ll offer to cover the cost. They don’t mind hearing about my vacations (though I do field some ‘bring me something’ requests). In general, if you don’t push the pricey outings and emphasize that you’re looking for her company it should be fairly smooth sailing.

    6. lapgiraffe*

      This may sound unrelated, but I’d treat this friend the way I also treat my friends who have small kids, especially the new moms and especially if your whole friend group is otherwise still childless. It can feel really dispiriting and isolating if your friend group keeps suggesting things that are not only out of the cards for you but they KNOW it’s out of the cards and don’t seem to bother to think about the odd one out. Be the friend that take the extra minute to think of things that’s more inclusive, or be the friend that goes of your way to do something with that friend that works on their terms. Make a point to go to them – if money is tight, and clearly car is a problem, and life is stressed, bring the pizza to them! Bring a bottle of wine to them! Don’t make a big deal of it, by changing up the same old routine (which is clearly not working for your friend) you’re acknowledging it enough. It doesn’t need to be about your friends finances, life changes a lot and you can’t just keep doing the same things with the same friend group in the same way forever.

    7. Not So NewReader*

      I am that poor friend. Do yourself and her a favor, dial it back on the spending. Find low cost, no cost things and just make that your habit. If it’s not this movie, then it would be something else. Try to let go of activities that cost money until you can find a low or no cost way to do a similar activity.

      If you absolutely must do this movie, then tell her that is her Christmas present or b-day present and she is getting it early. And actually mean that. When Christmas or birthday rolls around give her a card and that’s it.

      1. DCR*

        +1! I think it creates a weird dynamic in friendships when one person often pays for another. As the payer, you may start to wonder about how your friend is spending money and make judgments about it

    8. Not A Manager*

      I would not mention her financial situation. She knows she’s struggling right now, and she knows that you know it. I don’t think there’s any value-added to bringing it up.

      If you establish a system where she knows she can rely on you to generally suggest low- or no-cost excursions, then I think you can offer to treat her to something not crazy extravagant, like movie tickets, without a lot of fuss. “I’m going to see the Avengers this weekend, would you like to join me? My treat!”

    9. Wishing You Well*

      Side thought: I hope your friend is applying for or getting any official help she qualifies for. In my area, there’s SNAP (formerly food stamps) and multiple food bank organizations. She might qualify for other help, too.
      Also, you can ask her a hypothetical question to get her opinion: “What do you prefer: useful or silly gifts?” “If I offered to treat you to a movie, would that be okay?”
      You sound like a very thoughtful friend.

      1. jolene*

        If there were two-for-one offers at your local cinema, that would be the ideal way to treat her. Have a look out for those, or for a cheap subscription that would give you a second ticket on deep discount.

    10. CB*

      +1 to all the advice everyone else has given, and seconding that you are truly a kind person.

      Regarding spending money on tickets and such, something I’ve found with close friends (and exes) in similar situations is that it can be helpful to ‘alternate’ cost vs no-cost activities. My best friend is a pro at this, as she recently relocated to Chicago and has had trouble finding a job. One of her friends might treat them both to a bite and movie tickets, but then their next hangout would be at best friend’s apartment where they’d play Mario Kart and everyone (except best friend, the host) would bring a snack or drinks. Both activities are meaningful and accommodating, but don’t create pressure to spend more.

  27. Curious*

    When you feel anxious or unhappy, what tips or relaxation techniques do you use to calm down and be positive?

    1. coffee cup*

      This might sound odd, but one thing that sometimes works for me is listening to white noise, especially if I’m in bed and can’t sleep. It’s oddly soothing and usually helps me switch off a bit.

      1. Sprechen Sie Talk?*

        This! I have a track of ocean waves that is my go to. I’ll usually tell partner when I come home that “I need Ocean and a few minutes” and he knows to let me be for fifteen minutes or a half hour of laying there listening to waves with a pillow over my eyes.

        I also have a white noise machine for bedtime (and a fan) but that is more due to thin walls and neighbors.

    2. The Other Dawn*

      My mantra has always been “Don’t worry about the things you can’t change.” Easier said than done, but it’s really helped me to stop thinking about things that drain my energy and aren’t changeable.

      My “happy song” is Billy Idol’s Dancing With Myself.

    3. Aerin*

      If I just need a short term outlet video games are good for me. Something with good combat that flows well, like Arkham Asylum or God of War. Lets me zone out and feels nice and cathartic. Reading a favorite book is usually good, too.

      If it’s longer term, I try to find something useful I can do. Like, I might not be able to get everything in my life under control, but I can get the pile of boxes that’s taking over the living room into the recycling can. Little steps can really help.

    4. Not So NewReader*

      I look to see what steps I can take to remove some of the pressure in the situation. Sometimes talking with a trusted friend helps. Sometimes I know what I have to do and I just need to start inching my way through it. Other times I am nervous/worried because I lack info, so I google or look for other sources for that information.

    5. Part Time Poet*

      Deep breathing practice and guided meditation. I use the free version of Insight Timer.

    7. Almost Academic*

      For anxiety, leaning into it with curiosity. What’s making me feel anxious or stressed about it? What is the worst feared outcome? What’s so bad about that? Looking at the evidence I have (facts, not feelings), what is the likelihood that my anxious thoughts are true? If my anxious thoughts did come true, what plan do I have for dealing with it? What concrete steps can I take to address or minimize that outcome? If the thought of those questions is too overwhelming to me, I’ll usually try to relax my body somehow first – meditating, warm shower, facemask, etc., anything to reduce the physiological “jitters”.

      Unhappy: Distraction with something that’s a pleasurable activity or event, or that has helped to improve my mood in the past. Maybe doing some work I enjoy, reading, reaching out to a friend for support, etc.

      I hope you feel better soon <3

    8. gecko*

      These are both extremely specific to me so I don’t know how helpful they’ll be. But, I write down what’s bothering me. I think the reason this works for me is because my brain has some worry on a loop, the same loop that I use for short-term “don’t forget this, don’t forget this” kinds of thoughts. So just as I can get myself to stop repeating a grocery list over and over by writing it down, I can let off some anxiety steam by writing down whatever the worry is. I think it’s a brain hack from how I trained myself to study in school.

      I also try to provide myself with a transition point. This is really hard to do. But basically if I’m really, really unhappy, even if deep down I can feel myself getting a little “done” with being unhappy, it’s hard to leave that state.

      It’s like, How can I be calm and baseline again when two minutes ago I was crying hard??? But, having some “neutral zone” when I feel unhappy helps. Taking a nap, eating a meal, taking a walk, taking a shower.

      Then, I have some separation between the bad mood and the ok mood, and I can tell myself the story, “I felt better after taking a walk,” instead of the story “I guess I just cried myself out and it wasn’t THAT bad a mood? I guess I wasn’t really sad?” (which, as you might be able to tell, is not a story that works for me).

    9. CB*

      My former-boss set a standard on our small team to encourage stepping out of the office and going for a walk around the block to clear one’s head. All I have to say is “I’m stepping out for a few minutes”, with no questions asked, above and beyond ‘required’ break times. The change in scenery and the small dose of exercise usually helps me clear my head and avoid saying/doing something inappropriate fueled by anxiety.

      For unhappiness (which for me is usually fueled by depression), I try to ‘accomplish’ SOMETHING on my personal to-do list. Even if that’s just unloading the dishwasher or putting dirty clothes in the hamper, it’s a good reality check that despite whatever is making me mad/upset, I’m still here and still chugging along.

  28. AvonLady Barksdale*

    We’re dogsitting this weekend for a friend’s foster pup. Stella is a big lumpy mush and very sweet, but she has weight and skin issues and at 125 lbs, she doesn’t move very easily. She is also very stinky! But so far we’ve been ok. She has lots of blankies that she likes to burrow in, and while it’s taken some time, she’s been able to get off our deck (two small steps) to pee in our backyard. We’re hoping today is sunny and warm and she can just enjoy herself outside all day. Our friend who is fostering her doesn’t have a backyard and Stella loves the sun, so I think being able to just hang out on our deck will be very freeing for her.

    My buddy is not quite that happy with this arrangement. He’s very much an “only”. He likes Stella’s blankies well enough, but I think he’s a little concerned about the length of her stay. Luckily for all of us, he doesn’t lash out, he just looks at me with his sad eyes and makes his “I’m annoyed” face. I will be sure to give him solo walks and extra schnoogles.

    1. NoLongerYoung*

      Extra solo walks are a big bonus for your buddy…sounds like Stella needed some sunshine….hug for her too.

    3. AvonLady Barksdale*

      My grandmother, who is rather… insensitive at times, just told me over the phone that she doesn’t understand fostering and she doesn’t think anyone will ever adopt this dog. It amazes me sometimes how I grew up with a shred of compassion for anything.

  29. HannahS*

    Bloating: help! I’ve been getting awful bloating and stomach aches recently. Last night I looked about five months pregnant, and my belly was hard with air, and it was the second time this week. I’m trying to figure out if it’s happening at particular points in my cycle, but the most common precipitant is that I ate a meal on an empty stomach. I guess I’m usually more of a grazer, but I often eat a large breakfast after having not eaten overnight, and it’s always been fine. Since it’s been happening more frequently, I’ve been remembering other times when I’ve purposefully waited to eat, like for Yom Kippur, or a Seder meal, and then gotten a bad stomach ache, so I guess this isn’t a change, but it’s happening more often, and sometimes unprompted! What do you do when you’re bloated? Does anything help?

    Another fun side effect: sometimes, when I’m really stressed, I’ll get an upset stomach. When I go to bed with a food- or medication-induced stomachache, I’ll have stressful dreams all night, because I guess my body has decided that these two things go together!

    1. Marion Q*

      There’s this yoga pose that helps me whenever I’m bloated, the seated twist (ardha matsyendrasana). I also find putting hot water bottle on my stomach helps with stomachache. Another thing is applying cajeput oil on my stomach (which is basically like putting hot water bottle), but there’s no substantial scientific evidence on this, so it might be placebo effect.

    2. Aerin*

      Ginger helps me. I found some ginger gum at CVS, and online I got these candies called Gin Gins. I frequently get bloated or vaguely queasy, so I keep these on me at all times.

    3. Nye*

      Is there a chance you’ve developed lactose intolerance? Bloating and cramps (and other unfortunate GI impacts) are common symptoms. If you’re going to lose lactase persistence, it can often happen gradually (and, I’m told, often around your thirties, which is when I noticed it).

      Anyway, maybe keep an eye out on whether these symptoms get worse when you’ve eaten dairy. Took me and a friend of mine quite a while to realize we were lactose intolerant (years apart), since it’s not immediate or super-obvious. There’s a strong genetic component to lactase persistence because of its evolutionary history, but genetics are not 100% destiny on this and even in groups that evolved it (northern European, some African) there are exceptions.

      1. Nye*

        Should say – if this seems likely and you don’t want to cut out dairy altogether (it’s too delicious for that!), LactAid helps. You might have to take a bunch of pills to get the benefit, though – the one or two they recommend simply don’t cut it for me. Also the store brands are usually garbage, though CostCo in the US has the good stuff for cheap.

    4. fposte*

      Often when you wait to eat, you’re eating a larger portion than you would ordinarily. I will say for my Crohns etc. I find that large portions are an issue, but that grazing isn’t great either; I do better with modest meals eaten slowly. You might also want to look at the low FODMAP dietary suggestions to see if any of those sugars would relate to what you’ve tended to eat when you’ve had bloating.

    5. ATX Language Learner*

      My bloating has gotten worse with age and my cycles are not the same every month (some 24 days, some 26, some 28). I started keeping track of my cycles and add which days I’m bloated and notice that I bloat when I ovulate and for about 3-4 days before my period starts. During those times, I keep my sodium levels super low (I eat low sodium anyway because my body is very sensitive to being bloated so my “super low sodium days” are filled with greens, fruits, and meat) and make sure not to binge eat or eat things with heavy carbs. I up my cardio as well and drink peppermint tea, which really helps! I actually noticed that if I drink peppermint tea daily, my bloating is much less.

      Although there are days (like yesterday) that I was bloated AF as well as moody AF and nothing helped. I also started taking Balance from Alani Nu, which helps regulate hormones and there are tons of great reviews (https://www.alaninu.com/). I haven’t taken it long enough to notice a difference but hopefully within a month or two I will :)

    6. Veronica*

      I find that friendly bacteria-laden foods help. Yogurt, kombucha, sauerkraut. Also, I don’t want to be an alarmist, and I don’t know your age or overall health, but bloating can be a sign of serious illness, so keep an eye on it and pay attention if it doesn’t go away.

    7. Ann O.*

      Do I remember correctly that your Ashkenazi? If so, I would pay attention to whether onion or garlic intolerance may be a factor. We are apparently genetically prone to FODMAP issues, and onion intolerance seems to be more common among us. Figuring out my onion intolerance cleared up so many mysteries for me about why I was bloating so much and in so much pain. Eating continues to be a struggle because low-FODMAP is hard, but it’s much better.

      Separate from intolerance issues, simethicone can help with reduce bloating. The common brands for it are Gas-X and Phazyme. I don’t like taking medicine, so I only use simethicone when I’m really in pain, but it does help.

      Yoga poses that put pressure on the lower intestines can also help. This is common enough that a Google on “yoga to relieve bloating pain” will turn up many articles, but you can also watch this video: https://youtu.be/HVEuVBPzVV4

    8. Wishing You Well*

      Time for a medical checkup. It could be anything really: gall bladder, etc.

    9. Coffeelover*

      Sorry if this is really obvious, but have you tried removing/reducing common IBS offenders? I used to get a lot of bloating and it took me a long time to realize I just can’t eat certain things (well I can but I’ll probably regret it later). I just thought being really bloated from time to time is normal, and it’s not really. Everyone is different, but for me I realized I can’t have lactose and more than 2 cups of coffee a day will bloat me like crazy, and if I have too much sugar it’s the same. Other common offenders are onions, garlic, cabbage, brocolli, cauliflower, etc.

    10. Scandinavian in Scandinavia*

      Have a look at FODMAP and try eliminate one food item at a time. Certain very crispy and fresh apples give me the same symptoms. As long as I stay away from those, I am fone. Good luck!

    11. Tau*

      Simethicone simethicone simethicone simethicone.

      This is available OTC in chewable form (at least in the UK and Germany, idk about the US). It is one of the very rare medications you will find that has “side-effects: none known” on the label. It does one thing and it does that one thing very well: it reduces foaming and thereby gets gases out of your stomach.

      I’ve had weird stomach issues since basically forever (have never quite managed elimination diets to narrow down the cause, if there is a clear one) including the really fun problem where I get gas build-up beneath my lung and suddenly I’m at the doctor discovering my lung volume is half what it should be. This stuff is a life-saver.

    12. Grace Less*

      I encourage you to visit your gynecologist (or a local women’s health clinic) for a checkup. Bloating can be an early symptom of ovarian cancer. It’s fairly rare, but it’s definitely something that should be ruled out as early as possible.

      1. Quandong*

        Seconding this recommendation – it’s really important to rule this out, please don’t ignore it.

    13. Princess Deviant*

      For me white processed carbs like bread (especially bread!) and pasta make me bloated, so I have to avoid those, but it is individual so I agree with the other commenters – try your doctor and a good elimination diet to see if any foods make a difference and that there’s no underlying medical cause.

      Just one thing that works for me, because like you I also get an upset stomach and diarrea when I’m stressed or upset – I take the view that my body is trying to tell me something, make some kind of feeling available to me which is otherwise buried in my subconscious!

      So I do some mindfulness meditation, and try to notice the feelings. I then try to work out where the feelings came from and is there anything I can do to alleviate what’s happening? Very often the action of listening to myself helps alleviate the symptoms. And not repeating the same things that made me ill in the first place of course helps. 0

      E.g. I got a swallow problem many years ago. Saw a speech therapist. Realised through her help it was stress. I was scared of leaving but eventually realised I could never go back to that job again so I resigned. Swallow problem resolved. Just before I quit my therapist told me, “some things are hard to swallow, aren’t they?”

  30. MarieD*

    I’m looking to visit portugal in a couple of months, do you have any recommendations ?

    Would you recommand a carrier from Canada or website to find accomodation?

    Thanks !

    1. Teapot Translator*

      I’ve always found that Air Transat usually has the cheapest flights. When I went to Greece last year with my family, we used Booking and Airbnb for accommodations.

    2. ATX Language Learner*

      omg omg omg PORTUGAL IS MY FAVORITE!! I would no doubt move there in a split second if I had the opportunity (actually my husband and I would like to live there one day, perhaps in 4-5 years!) I used booking.com to find accommodations. Below is a huge list of recommendations I made for a friend.

      1) Lisbon – arrived there in the morning and spent a day and night there. We also stayed a day and night before we flew back home.
      · Areas explored: Alfama, Bairro Alto, and Praça do Rossio. All 3 areas are very popular with great restaurants and bars.
      · Cool lounge bar in Bairro Alto named Majong, really cool vibe that played deep house music. Not a club or dance bar, just a cool bar hidden in an alleyway. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g189158-d245843-Reviews-Majong-Lisbon_Lisbon_District_Central_Portugal.html
      · We went to Sea Me, a sushi restaurant in Bairro Alto. If you plan on going I would make a reservation. https://www.yelp.com/biz/sea-me-lisboa?osq=sushi

      2) Carvoeiro –we took a bus down to the Algarve region. Here we stayed in the town mostly but also visited Portimão and Ferragudo. We stayed here 5 days at a place called O Castelo Guest House (beach views and great accommodations! 80 euros per night for a beach view with balcony and huge room. http://www.ocastelo.net/en/welcome)
      · This town is beyond picturesque. If you go down to this region I recommend you kayak through the caves, either alone or with a tour (we went alone). There are hidden beaches in the caves. It is breathtaking!
      · Portimão is a larger city with some good beaches. I personally liked Praia do Carvoeiro better.
      · Here were our favorite restaurants:
      i. A Boneca – superb seafood restaurant hidden in the cliffs. https://www.yelp.com/biz/a-boneca-lagoa?osq=restaurants
      ii. Onze – delicious southern European food. https://www.yelp.com/biz/onze-restaurant-carvoeiro-lagoa?osq=restaurants

      3) Porto – we took the train up to Porto. We stayed here 8 days and absolutely fell in love with the city. The city is beautiful and has a magnetic vibe. It’s a more romantic city with a lot of great wines, Port wine, restaurants, cafes on every corner, etc. The food is outstanding and I wish we could have stayed there months! The city is on a very large hill so you do a lot of walking up and down the hill and stairs to go down to the river. We walked nearly 8 miles every day. We stayed in 2 different places, one in the Arco Apartments which is absolutely amazing. It’s situated in the cliffs/stairs of Porto and the views are spectacular.
      · Arco Apartments – http://arco-apartments.pt/
      · Our favorite and probably one of the best restaurants I’ve ever been to is Puro 4050. I recommend the squid ink pasta J It’s also situated in a little alley of other restaurants and cafes. At night there was jazz playing, a magician/comedian sort of guy, and during the day there was a Brazilian Capoeira dance off! And the best part is it is so cheap compared to the restaurants in the US. We went there twice and didn’t spend more than 50 dollars. https://www.yelp.com/biz/puro-4050-porto
      · Every bar has sangria and it is so delicious. I became hooked on the white sangria.
      · Café Cais – great spot by the river to watch the tourists and grab a snack and drink. Their white sangria was my favorite!
      · Jimão – you will need to make a reservation. Delicious place with tapas and good wines. https://www.yelp.com/biz/jim%C3%A3o-porto-2
      · We did a Port Wine Tour at Porto Ferreira in Vila Nova de Gaia. We didn’t go over to the vineyards in the Douro region because of the forest fires.
      · 7G Roasters – the best coffee in Porto. Portugal in general is new to the “craft” coffee and different methods of brewing. Most of the coffee is a brand called Delta which is a Folgers equivalent. If you’re a coffee addict like me, 7G Roasters will be your best café! It’s on the other side of the river in Vila Nova de Gaia.
      · Tapa Bento – Also one of my favorite restaurants there. https://www.yelp.com/biz/tapabento-porto
      · Café Zenith – great spot for breakfast and lunch. I recommend the Nutella pancakes! We went here twicehttps://www.yelp.com/biz/zenith-brunch-e-cocktails-bar-porto-2

      2. Sprechen Sie Talk?*

        This is really helpful as we’ve been contemplating a trip to Portugal as well – will save!

      3. Hester Mae*

        We loved Porto also!
        Neither of us drinks alcohol and there was still lots to do! We are looking to move there in several years.
        Most people in tourist areas speak English. Português language is not that similar to Spanish as you might think.
        Have a wonderful time!

        1. ATX Language Learner*

          It is actually very similar! I speak both languages and learned Portuguese 2nd. It’s 70% similar, just the 30% you have to learn which includes not only grammatical differences but differences in pronunciation which is by far the hardest to learn if you already speak Spanish.

      4. londonedit*

        Massively late to the party as always, so you probably won’t even see this, but I was very excited to see a mention of Carvoeiro and Portimão! My family has a house near there and we absolutely love it. The caves are amazing (definitely take one of the fishing boat trips to the caves from Carvoeiro beach!) and there are so many great places to eat. I also love the wooden boardwalks all along the coast, they’re fantastic for a gorgeously picturesque walk. Some of the smaller beaches like Albandeira and Benagil are also fantastic!

        1. ATX Language Learner*

          Ahhh the Algarve region is so wonderful! Can’t wait to go back one day and explore more. Or just pack up my things and move! Ha! Would love to know more info about buying a property over there as a foreigner (assuming you are not Portuguese but maybe I’m wrong!).

          1. londonedit*

            You’re correct in guessing we’re not Portuguese! I don’t know a great deal about it as my parents bought the house in 2003 – I was 22 at the time and didn’t know much about buying property in general! And I don’t know how things will have changed since then.

            It is a wonderful region, though! I haven’t had the chance to visit for the last 18 months or so because of various work and family things, but I do feel so lucky having a ready-made Portuguese holiday whenever I want one! My parents tend to spend a couple of months there and a couple of months back in the UK throughout the year, so it’s generally easy enough to go and visit them. I never have time to go to all of my favourite restaurants! Oh, and I also have to put in a recommendation for Silves and Monchique – absolutely gorgeous.

  31. Seeking Second Childhood*

    After something yesterday… what dark-humor things have happened while you were driving? I’ll start. I was a passenger when a wild turkey flew up directly into the van’s front window. Hard enough that the mirror popped off but not hard enough to break the window. We couldn’t find the bird.

    1. Akcipitrokulo*

      Little bit of rust at the front of the bonnet. Going about 50 mph with me & dad in front, little brother &sister in back.

      A gust of wind got under the gap, ripped off the bonnet which slammed into the windscreen, bounced off the roof and landed behind us.

      Thankfully no-one going behind us and no injuries! But scared the shit out of us!

    2. Sam Sepiol*

      Driving near a big shopping centre in the UK but in the countryside. A deer ran up behind my car and kept up with me for a couple of minutes before running off. I was terrified I was somehow going to drive into it!

      1. Not So NewReader*

        My friend was chased by a pig while driving his truck. He had tried to shoo the pig in off the road. Well the pig decided my friend is a nice person and ran behind his truck as he tried to drive away.

        My friend turned in at a near by farm, the pig darted into an area with other pigs. My friend said he hoped that is where the pig belonged. The pig weighted at least 150 maybe more. Big pig.

        1. fposte*

          British comedian Eddie Izzard has a routine about a proposed game show called “Whose Pig Is This?” Sounds like your friend was unknowingly in the pilot.

          1. Not So NewReader*

            Bummer. And he still doesn’t know if he won or not, either. I know he does use a different route in case the pig recognizes him again.

    3. Rebecca*

      A large black bear ran into my SUV. I had no chance to get out of the way, and he ran directly into my driver’s side headlight and somehow left hair embedded in the tire between the tire and rim as well. Broke the headlight. I got out, called the police so they could get the bear off the road, they told me to call the game commission, was in the process of doing that…and the bear got up on all 4’s, shook its massive head like “what the heck just happened here” and ran off in the direction it came from in the first place. Honestly, I had no idea I could move that fast and get back into a vehicle like that.

    5. Chaordic One*

      Quite a few years ago, when driving to work, my car’s engine quit and I coasted down the road a ways until I came to stop in the first turnoff from the highway.

      And it was in front of an auto junkyard.

    6. KR*

      Ran over a deer (to my credit this lady deer lept under my front passenger tire). Car was absolutely fine. Passerby pulled over behind us. We had to call the cops to shoot it/collect it (a lot of times in that area tow drivers will call someone to come collect the meat). My friend I was with walked over with a flashlight to check to see if it was dead after it didn’t move for five minutes and it got up and walked away without so much as a limp.

    7. Seeking Second Childhood*

      I thought of another one. I was driving on a country highway. I saw a car on the side of the road at a diagonal, with nobody in it. I kept going. Then I saw an accident on the other side of the road. Then I saw a man running down the other side of the road, against traffic. He was chasing a wheel. He must have lost his wheel and crashed, the wheel rolled and bounced into two cars and kept going. I never fid find out if he caught his wheel before it hit someone else.

    8. Arjay*

      I drove my husband’s brand new car for the first time and barely avoided a big wreck within a mile of our house. This truck pulled right out in front of me like I was invisible. The adrenaline sent me into laughter as I asked him if the new car came with a cloaking device I’d accidentally activated.

      Ina Final Destination type scene, he had a lawn mower blade fly off a truck in front of him and flatten his tire. Thankfully, that was the only damage.

    9. Claire*

      This happened to a friend of mine, who’s an EMT.

      The story started at a fourth of July parade, in a remote town in northern New Hampshire, with friend and his co-workers in their ambulance and dressed up as M.A.S.H. characters, including at least one as Klinger. Some poor man collapsed, possible heart attack*. The EMT crew got to work, loaded their patient into the ambulance, and took off to the hospital. Along the way, a moose started to cross the road, got side-swiped by the ambulance, then staggered away, none the worse for its encounter.

      It’s only when they get to the hospital that the crew discovered moose poop smeared ALL along the side of the ambulance. And did you know that moose poop fluoresces under the correct lighting?

      * It turns out it wasn’t a heart attack but extreme indigestion

  32. Looking for a Wordsmith*

    I am not skilled with words, especially in the dating realm, so can someone help me define these areas?
    1) More than like but less than love
    2) How to label the stage before Boyfriend/Girlfriend but more than just “person whom I happen to be dating”

    Backstory:
    I recently started dating a very close friend. Being such good friends and knowing each other so well means that parts of it feel like a serious, comfortable relationship, like we’ve jumped straight to the 6+ month stage (For example, we exchanged spare keys years ago as a lockout/emergency precaution, so I started the relationship with a key). However the romance aspect is new, exciting, surprising, and I’m enjoying taking things slow on that part.

    1) I usually take 3-6months to fall in love, but I feel like saying “I really like you” just doesn’t cut it and I don’t know what the escalation is. Because of the high comfort level, my brain pathways feel like my emotions should be on the love track and I’m afraid that an “I love you” will slip out from habit not from actually feeling it.

    2) A well adjusted person would probably call this the Boyfriend/Girlfriend stage, but I am not that person. I feel like that takes it from relationship to Relationship, which freaks me out a bit. “Partner” sounds even more serious. I’ve just been avoiding using any sort of label and was hoping that strategy would work until I was ok with the boyfriend/girlfriend thing, but now it is starting to come up more. I’d rather just have some term/label to use instead of having to explain the lack of a label. The person I’m dating understands the history behind all of my hang-ups about dating but I don’t want to have to explain it to family or people who I’m not close to. (Person I’m dating is thrilled that I’m comfortable enough to call it dating after watching me actively avoid dates for a couple years – I have issues and am working on them)

    1. Jessen*

      I’ve seen the term “special friend” used for people who want to indicate this is more than just friends but we don’t want to define it as a relationship.

    2. Ewesername*

      1) adore would work, wouldn’t it?
      2) not sure. Person I’m Seeing? Close friend? Is there a between stage?
      Sending you many happy thoughts!

    3. Not So NewReader*

      1) Person I am currently spending a lot of time with
      2) Person I have been seeing for a little while now

    4. Karen from Finance*

      1. “I (really) care about you”?

      2. You can say “we’re together” or “we’re seeing each other”.

    5. Not A Manager*

      “I am very fond of you.” “Being with you makes me happy.” “You’re wonderful.”

      I happen to think that “dating” is a nice term. “Courting” has some of the meaning you’re looking for, but it’s hard to say it un-ironically. Sometimes relationships are ambiguous and don’t have labels. You could always say, “this is my Ummm…” :)

      1. Anonymous Pterodactyl*

        I’ve always called this an Umm-Friend! As in “this is my ummmmmm…. friend.”

    6. Lilysparrow*

      1) I would call this “I really care about you.” Or in describing this to a friend, “I think this really has potential.”

      2) I’d describe this as “starting to get serious,” or “seeing a lot of each other.”

    7. Triplestep*

      1. I find the right things to say at this stage are the things we think of as old timey, such as “you know I’m crazy about you, right?” or “that’s why I’m so smitten with you!” They say what you want without wandering into that “love” territory.

      2. The labels depend on the audience, right? For mutual friends and family-members that know this person, I’d say what you said here: Our relationship turned romantic. For anyone else, this person is “the person I’m seeing” or “I’m involved with someone who …” enough times until you just start using their first name.

      I recently bumped into two women I’ve known for years, admittedly not that well. I know they’ve known each other well for all that time; one had been a single mother not really dating and the other one was in a long term relationship with a woman who passed away after a long illness. When I bumped into them, one of them blurted out “We’re together now!” and I have to say it was kind of awkward. I think I said something like “Congratulations!” but I don’t know if that was the right thing, and it felt strange. So I guess what I’m saying is … I don’t recommend the blurt out/bomb drop.

    8. Everdene*

      When we first started our relationship* Oak was aware I wanted to take things slowly (he was very patient) and would say things like ‘I adore you’ or ‘I love it when you…’ both of these felt special but not into dangerous “I love you”‘s. Being a bit sillier I would say things like “I don’t care what they say, I think you’re alright”.

      As for lables he was ‘just a boy I’m kissing’. (This continued till my niece asked if she should be calling him ‘Uncle Oak’ since I loved him! At that point I realised if a young kid recognised this as a proper relationship maybe I should too.)
      *Reader, I married him.

    9. suggestion*

      For #2, how about “my date”? I have heard this and liked how it implies there is one Date, but you’re dating and that’s what it is.

  33. Jessen*

    New kitty is settling in pretty well. She’s decided it’s ok to come out and ask me to pet or play with her – and no more night yowling! I think she really was just scared in the new place. Still having to teach her to ignore the barking dogs though.

    It looks like this one overstimulates easily. My last one would happily knock herself over being petted. So that’s going to be a learning curve.

    2. I'm A Little Teapot*

      New kitties are fun! You get to try all the different things to see what works for the new kitty. And the overstimulating could actually still be adjustment stuff – it can take a while. Just have to wait and see.

      1. Jessen*

        Her last owner said they had issues where she’d be getting petted and then suddenly turn around and swat at the people. So I’m thinking the overstimulation is going to be the nature of this one.

  34. Foreign Octopus*

    I’m having a pretty rough week at the moment. The platform that I use to teach has undergone some “upgrades” that has made it practically unusable and is cutting drastically into my earnings. Since I don’t have a Fuck Off fund I’m panicking a little about my finances. Also, I’m going through some difficult stuff in my personal life and it all just feels as though it’s closing in at the moment and I’m having trouble relaxing.

    I know that I’ll be okay. I’m extremely fortunate that I have two parents who, whilst sometimes completely ridiculous, are very supportive and won’t let me starve to death but it’s the feeling that I’m turning 29 this year and I can’t afford my pay my Netflix subscription or buy a coffee without anxiety.

    Does anyone have any tips for how to remain calm in the midst of financial problems?

    1. The Messy Headed Momma*

      When I was about your age & undergoing financial growing pains, I wrote every bill & it’s due date on a calendar that I posted on the fridge. It helped me as I was able to visualize my money on a daily basis. As I paid each bill, I scratched it out. I felt more like I was tackling & accomplishing my financial woes, rather than seeing what I wasn’t getting. (Also, the library! Free entertainment!) Good luck & remember that this is just a moment, not your whole life.

    2. Bibliovore*

      My technique is to take it once day at a time. Write down everything I spend money on (without an opinion good or bad) My mantra is that I have a roof over my head, food in the fridge, and clean clothes. That is enough for today and that lifts my anxiety for the moment.

    3. Venus*

      I don’t know if this helps at all, as the hourly rate isn’t great, but I know someone who does online teaching (ESL type) and they recently mentioned that Cambly is pretty good about allowing almost anyone who is a native English speaker (it’s more conversations rather than teaching).

    4. Foreign Octopus*

      Thanks for the support and words of advice.

      I’ve spoken with my parents and they said that they’re more than happy for me to stay with them for as long as I need to so my worries on keeping a roof over my head are unfounded. I still feel uncomfortable that I’m living with my parents at my age but I’m trying to look on the bright side: I have parents who love and support me.

      I’m checking out other online teaching platforms (including Cambly, but boy are you right about the low hourly rate; I charge twice that now) and just trying not to panic.

      1. Venus*

        More suggestions:
        Dada abc (I think there are a few, so it is ‘abc’ specifically)
        Also try out Online ESL teacher pub group on FB

  35. Backsplash Balagan, with a side of smoke monster*

    The kitchen is done! Thank you all for your advice, ended up choosing the Navy pier honeycomb pattern tile. It looks wonderful, and the slight tilt of the counter that I mentioned to the group a few weeks ago is less noticeable now that the stools are up. We use the kitchen for cooking last night and everything was great until we used the oven and smoke was pouring out of it!! Contacting both the appliance store and the contractor today.

  36. My Brain is Exploding*

    You are fortunate to have a choice between having a good emergency fund whilst renting and having a house but no real emergency fund. What if one of you becomes unemployed? What if you need a new roof? Obviously in the apartment you have been able to save money, so you can keep doing that… Build up a bigger down payment. If you decide to make the move, you may want to wait until after the baby comes and everyone is ok. It would not be good to make the move and then have a lot of unforeseen medical bills. Congratulations!

      1. Pondering big changes*

        The job loss issue would depend on length of time. If we took the kids out of day care/aftercare, we could definitely afford the house on one salary. But if getting a new job in a few months seemed likely, we’d draw on savings or use credit to avoid losing the day care slot(s).

        As for savings, we’ve got 20%, so the down payment isn’t the issue, but how much in addition do you think is needed? The risk here is that home values will continue to rise by more than we can save in a year, whereas replenishing the emergency fund could be done in the first year before the baby. But we couldn’t afford a new roof, say, 2 months after buying.

        Thanks for your feedback. Big stuff to think through.

        1. My Brain is Exploding*

          It’s not that I think any additional down payment is needed. 20% is great! What I meant was that if you continue to put money away, you can put more down, decreasing your monthly payment. You sound like you are doing a great job of thinking things through and evaluating the risks!

        2. Combinatorialist*

          When my friend bought a house, she bought a special insurance that covered things like “new roof” in the first year after buying a house. Is that something you could afford? It would possibly give you the piece of mind to move if you are worried about the first year after you buy it

          1. just a random teacher*

            I had a similar kind of “home warranty” thing that was included by the buyer for a year when I got my home, and I found that it didn’t actually cover any of the kinds of major things I was worried about insuring, just the kind of three digit number problems” I figured were par for the course for the emergency fund to deal with. They were not willing to cover the back-graded sewer line (I had a sewer scope done as part of the inspection, but it was back-graded “upstream” from where the guy put his camera in) OR the new electrical line I had to have run to the pool pumphouse when the old one gave up the ghost due to being the wrong kind of conduit to bury in the ground where it would get damp. They were more willing to cover things like needing the stove repaired, but things in that price range I’d rather just buy a new one that I actually wanted rather than fight an extra layer of bureaucracy about whether or not the old one was “fixed enough” now. (I was able to keep a decent-sized “repair fund” in savings when I bought, so I ended up covering the sewer, electrical line, new stove, and new dishwasher out of pocket. Arrgh houses.)

  37. Laura H.*

    Ugh… I really hope I’m not getting sick… but of course it’d happen on a weekend preceding a week where I have lunch with a friend on Monday, and finally my rescheduled training for my new job on Wednesday….

    Also have to change my sheets and do some laundry courtesy of the results of me feeling icky last night.

    I don’t think it’s allergies, so I’m gonna see if my brother will take me to the Urgent Care later today… wanna nip it in the bud (and minimize my contagious time if applicable.)

    I think I got this crud from my mother, who will not go to the doctor EVER… she sounds absolutely miserable, but it’s not my place to say “hey, this has been going on for x days, you need to see a doctor and get treated/ get confirmation that yes it’s just allergies.”

    Or more correctly, I can say it, but the response won’t be what I want.

    1. I'm A Little Teapot*

      Maybe you don’t want to say it to her, but you also don’t have to be around her. If she refuses to take care of herself, you have the right to protect yourself.

      Hope you’re feeling better.

  38. And another thing...*

    Share your favorite escapist movie available via streaming, please! So many recommendations are for dark dark dark things, and I can’t even. (I’m ok on tv shows, but would love movie ideas.)

    2. Lizabeth*

      The Lake House is nice, Lara Croft Tomb Raider for kicking ass (Angelina Joelle one) Footloose, either one, anything Austen, Crouching Dragon Hidden Tiger are some of my go-to’s

    3. Seeking Second Childhood*

      What service? I was unexpectedly thrilled by Ant Man, but I got it from the library because it wasn’t on Amazon Prime. Other favorites off the top of my head… The Mummy (Brendan Fraser version). Stardust, Gene Wilder’s Willie Wonka, Mary Poppins, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Big Trouble in Little China, Ghostbusters. My husband adds Spies Like Us and Karate Kid. Howls Moving Castle.
      Good luck, let us know what you end up with. Because then we have more!

    4. I'm A Little Teapot*

      A lot of the fantasy movies targeted for older kids/teens may work. Or look at the newer Disney live actions.

    5. Parenthetically*

      Legally Blonde is on Netflix, and if you want the sweetest, cutest little bit of fluff ever, watch To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. I’m also a fan of a good kids’ movie — Sing is a recent favorite, and I could watch Moana over and over.

    6. Username*

      I can’t confirm these are all on streaming but some of my favs are Waking Ned Devine, the 100 foot journey, and Butter. I also love musicals so sometimes I’ll go for one of the 40s or 50s musicals where everything is going to be totally fine at the end, like Singing in the rain, summer stock, or 7 brides for 7 brothers (assuming you can ignore the misogyny and absolute lack of anyone of color – but some of the dance sequences are great escapism). For action movies, Men in Black is always reliable fun.

    7. Wulfgar*

      Noises Off is hilarious. Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Carol Burnett, Marilyn Henner, John Ritter, and Nicolette Sheidan are cast in a stage play where everything goes wrong.

      Soapdish is also very funny and has a great cast including Robert Downey Jr., Sally Field, Carrie Fisher, and Elizabeth Shue.

    9. Lilysparrow*

      I think Enchanted April is still on Netflix. Just lovely.

      I have a lot, but that’s the first one that pops to mind.

    10. Elizabeth West*

      I just FINALLY saw Not Another Teen Movie (it’s on Crackle, with ads, but was free). It’s a bit crude in spots but it was hysterical!

  39. Akcipitrokulo*

    Just seen “The kid who would be king” with the kids. It is sooooo good! Anyone else seen it?

    1. JediSquirrel*

      No, but I just checked out the trailer. It looks great! And funny (“This is the round table. Quick, lift up the flaps! was hilarious.)

  40. Anastasia Beaverhousen*

    Anyone here from Australia? I’m moving there soon, and am trying to get a better sense of what to expect. I’ve lived in several different countries, and have been surprised at some of the differences, even just in basic things like ‘what a rental apartment comes with’ (German apartments don’t come with kitchens! Danish apartments don’t come with lights! Europe in general doesn’t ‘do’ cheques, but Canada & the US love them! I knew none of these things until far too late in the process). I’m usually fairly outdoorsy, as well, but having seen many long lists of, like, ‘deadly creatures that can fit in your shoe’ about Australia, I’m a bit nervous that hiking around there might actually be dangerous. Anyone have any insight?

    1. Aussie Teacher*

      Welcome down under! Yep everything in Australia can kill you, but as long as you take sensible precautions you should be fine (e.g. read warning signs carefully at beaches etc). As far as renting goes, most apartments come with lights, kitchens and all the usual stuff! Cheques are still accepted but most people/businesses use cards (either debit or credit). If you think of anything else you want to know, let me know!

      1. Anastasia Beaverhousen*

        Thank you – very good to know! Any recommendations on ‘must-see’ vacation spots? Particularly of the ‘amazing hike’ and/or ‘really unique wildlife’ variety, rather than the ‘famous building packed with tourists’ variety? I’ll be in NSW, but don’t mind long drives!

        1. cat slave*

          I really loved the warrumbungles. I did a 2 or 3 day hike in june. needed to carry all water, but it was great

        2. Eilyk*

          Aussie here – Tasmania, in particular Hobart is one of my favourite holiday destinations. Great food, bush walks, sightseeing, history. A great art museum called MONA.

        3. ElspethGC*

          I’ve been twice to visit friends in Melbourne, the first stopping in Victoria and doing the Ocean Road, the second as a road trip up to Brisbane. The Blue Mountains are glorious – they’re in NSW – and the views from the Ocean Road are lovely if you could make it down to Vic, and on that same trip we did the Grampians and Otway National Park. And if you can make it out to see the fairy penguins (we did it at Phillip Island), that’s super fun!

      1. fposte*

        In kitchens. It’s just that kitchen furnishings are owned by the occupant and move with them.

        1. Myrin*

          Not necessarily! I mean, it’s very definitely a thing in a way that made my new – coincidentally, Australian – landlord remark on it, but as someone who’s been intimately familiar with the housing market until two months ago, I’d actually say it’s about 50-50 at the moment.

          1. fposte*

            That is a fair correction. However, the notion that it happens at all, like ever, that you haul kitchen cabinets from one rented space to another is enough to prostrate most Americans with shock.

            1. Myrin*

              Yeah, that’s what I figured. My landlord was very “There’s a kitchen already in this flat, is that okay for you guys?” during the house tour and we answered that we don’t have our own kitchen anymore since our (then-current, now former) place was already furnished and he said “That’s perfect, then. We decided to do it the Australian way and have the kitchen already installed.” and we remarked that that’s not necessarily “Australian” but actually pretty standard especially in new or renovated places and he just looked at me pleadingly and exclaimed “It’s unheard of in Australia!!”.

              1. fposte*

                I just love cultural differences like that that are utterly blindsiding; it’s reminder that practices really do evolve very differently in different places. That people in x country might like to put, I dunno, cinnamon on their fries? Okay, I may not have predicted cinnamon exactly, but I was prepared for different food. The kitchen thing? No.

                It reminds me of when I was first in the UK decades ago and small electrical appliances there (like kettles) were sold without plugs–you’d buy them separately and wire them together, presumably because of how non-standardized the sockets were. I seriously thought I was being pranked at first.

                1. Tau*

                  Apparently rentals in the Netherlands typically don’t come with flooring. I apparently really am German all the way down, because the idea of lugging your kitchen between flats makes some sort of sense to me (you can get all the appliances you like! no more dealing with that flat where the owner didn’t think an oven was necessary or the other with the truly ancient hob that takes 45 minutes to boil a pot of water!), but laying down your own floorboards is just a step too far.

          2. Tau*

            I was very very relieved to discover this has become a thing after moving back from the UK, where the standard is furnished flats and I didn’t want to have to buy a kitchen on top of furniture. However, fair warning – this may result in a monthly rent for the kitchen getting charged on top of rent for the flat!

            (Also, for the non-German-speakers renting in Germany who’d like to avoid buying a kitchen: the term you’re looking for is Einbauküche, sometimes abbreviated to EBK.)

      2. Glomarization, Esq.*

        Renters often bring their own kitchens or work with the landlord for a custom build.

    3. Parenthetically*

      It REALLY varies depending where you’re moving, both rental expectations and critters in your shoe. My Aussie husband and I have friends in Hobart, Perth, Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Alice Springs, and other places, and the rental market varies wildly across those cities and regions, as do the things you’d need to be wary of on a bushwalk!

      Regardless of where you’re going to be living, do yourself a favor and holiday in Tasmania. It’s incredibly beautiful, low on Stuff That Can Kill You, and the food/beer/wine/cheese scene is bananas, as are the camping/bushwalking/climbing/canoeing/wildlife spotting options. There’s so much pristine wilderness, and the climate is much cooler than most of the rest of Australia, so it’s a particularly good escape in January/February when other places are intolerably hot.

    4. WS*

      Where are you moving to? There are a lot of deadly creatures (more the further north you go) but basic common sense will take care of most of them – i.e. don’t swim where the sign says “NO SWIMMING”, don’t pick up an octopus, don’t walk around in long grass barefoot! Australia is great for outdoorsy people, even if you live right in the city. I don’t know where you’re from, but an American friend who moved here was surprised that apartments don’t come with a refrigerator.

    5. Jarffe*

      Welcome to Aus! The main difference with Aussie rentals might be a lack of a clothes dryer? Or depending on where you’re moving a heater. Clothes dryers are uncommon because most people just hang their clothes outside on the line, but some places will have them. Because of how warm some parts of Australia are it might not be necessary to have a heater.

      Hiking here really isn’t more dangerous than hiking anywhere else. The main thing to watch out for would be snakes, which is a pretty common hiking thing worldwide. Everything else has mostly been exaggerated as a joke. Spiders – technically deadly but havent killed any people since the invention of anti venom. Frogs/other amphibians just don’t touch them in general and especially not the brightly coloured ones and I don’t think any are deadly. Any of the various mammals/birds: they’re wild animals and might attack you if you annoy/threaten them or their young but rarely other then that. All the various sea creature: can be dangerous but unlikely to be spotted while hiking (just swim between the flags on populated beaches with lifeguards patrolling if you wanna go swimming). The most dangerous animal would be salt water crocodiles – do not mess with them, they have killed people. But they only live in a few places usually far north so just do your research and you’ll be fine. So yeah, common sense, don’t mess with crocodiles and you’ll be having fun hiking.

      Places to go: just be aware of the size of Australia. I know someone from France who thought that since she and her boyfriend where both in Australia she could go visit him on weekends, he was in Brisbane and she was in Perth… That is a 4,500km drive(2,800 miles).

      1. Amelia*

        I am Australian and I think the law (at least in New South Wales) is that the landlord needs to supply a way to dry your clothes – so if there is a clothesline then that is sufficient but if not they have to supply a dryer. But they don’t provide washing machines so if you have an internal (not shared) laundry you will need your own one of those. Also a fridge and maybe a microwave depending on whether there is a built in one or not.
        I am not much of a hiker but think there are lots of fantastic walks all over the place, just beware of distances as it really does take a while to drive anywhere (which Australians tend to be pretty blasé about).

    6. Marion Ravenwood*

      Seconding everyone who said go to Tasmania! I spent a week there last time I went to Australia and absolutely loved it. It’s super-outdoorsy, lots of gorgeous scenery (mountains, lakes etc), awesome food and wine, tons of history and culture, and small enough to feel friendly but far aware enough to have a remote, slightly detached feel. There’s something very awesome about standing on the harbour in Hobart and thinking that the next land mass you’d hit from there would be Antarctica.

      In terms of what to expect, it’s eight years now since I lived in Australia, but when I was there apartments definitely came with kitchens, lights etc! I will say that the culture and lifestyle can differ wildly between cities – Melbourne is very different to Sydney which is different to Perth which is different to Brisbane – so it really will depend on where you’re going. I will admit stuff like the heater thing threw me initially, although again that’s less common the further south you get (you definitely need a heater in Victorian and Tasmanian winters!), but in general I found it fairly similar to the UK in terms of the types of things you got in rented apartments.

      (I lived in Melbourne for six months, have backpacked through Australia twice, and would move back tomorrow in a heartbeat. I miss it a lot.)

  41. Vic tower*

    Trying to figure out if it’s weird to be bothered by this or not.

    One of my friends years ago used to sometimes compliment me on finishing my meal and now my fiancé sometimes does it. He’ll say something like “I see you enjoyed that” or “you did a good job” and I feel a bit self conscious – like they’re saying I’ve eaten too much!

    Is this my hang up, or is it a weird thing to talk about?

    1. Anastasia Beaverhousen*

      Um. Did you used to have an eating disorder or something that they’re awkwardly trying to be positive about? Or are you like really thin, to the point that maybe they’re worried about you? Because yes, that’s a bit weird.

      1. Vic tower*

        No, never had an eating disorder. Am not especially thin (bmi 24-25). I think they are trying to say “I’m glad you enjoyed that” but it just feels a bit odd to comment on. With my fiancé, I’m thinking “you ate all yours too!” and with my friend (who was skinnier and sometimes ate less than me) it felt a bit patronising.

        My fiancé usually follows up by saying “I love seeing that you enjoy food” which is not as bad but I’m still kind of inclined to address it and say “when you comment in this way, it makes me feel self conscious”. I don’t know if he ever comments on other people finishing their meals but I think it’s only me.

        1. dumblewald*

          I do think your finace’s comments are weird and not typical. I’m not sure why he feels compelled to say them. “good job” is a comment usually given to kids, and commenting that you enjoy food implies that he doesn’t think it’s normal for people to do so?? I don’t get it.

    2. Foreign Octopus*

      That’s weird.

      No so much the “I see you enjoyed that” because I’ve heard that for but definitely the “you did a good job”. To me that sounds like you’re a child and someone is patting you on the head for eating your vegetables.

    3. Llellayena*

      It’s an awkward way to say “I’m glad you liked it.” This happens to my dad in restaurants regularly. Mostly because mom and I ask for to-go boxes and dad’s plate is nearly washed clean.

    4. Not So NewReader*

      That’s kind of strange.
      Some people do correlate food to conversation. If there is good conversation people can tend to eat more. Sometimes food tastes better to me if I am enjoying a conversation. Maybe that has something to do with it?

    5. Not A Manager*

      I would shut that right down. I don’t like people to comment on what I’m eating or not eating, and I would just ask him nicely to stop doing that. I’m sure he doesn’t even realize it.

    6. Parenthetically*

      I dunno, I think if you think it’s weird, it’s worth exploring, either by yourself or with your fiance — asking why it makes you feel self-conscious, either from the perspective of your relationship with food, or from the perspective of your fiance having opinions about how much his partner should eat (especially if you’re a woman). Both worth a look, IMO.

      FWIW, my husband and I say stuff like that to each other all the time — I’ll look at his scraped-clean plate and say, “Ooh, sorry you didn’t like that one!” or he’ll joke about the Clean Plate Club or whatever. For us it’s mostly an observation that the food was delicious and we enjoyed it.

    7. dumblewald*

      I feel weird/self-conscious about these comments too, I’ve gotten some variation of both when I cleaned my plate. That being said, I’m pretty sure it’s just A Thing People Say, so I don’t dwell on it too long. But it does tend to rub me the wrong way. I feel like it makes me sound like a pig or overindulgent or something.

    8. Triplestep*

      I cannot stand when people comment on how much I’ve eaten – I was raised under a strict “don’t comment on others’ food” rule. Plus women in the US are socialized to leave food on their plates in social situations, lest they look like they have eaten too much. When I’m in a restaurant with my husband and others, our rule is that he’s welcome to eat the remainder of my meal when I can’t finish it, but he’s not allowed to leave his empty plate in front of me. Yes, this is me totally buying into that socialization that I shouldn’t eat it all.

      I’ve also noticed that waitstaff – complete strangers – have started to comment on how much I must have enjoyed my food based on how well I polished it off, and really can’t stand this. There must be some school of thought that if they remind you the food was good, they’ll get a better tip, because for the life of me I can’t figure out why else they’re doing it.

      All that said, my first husband is from rural Italy, and eating with his relatives was a completely different experience from my “don’t comment” upbringing. They took it as a compliment if you at a lot, and went out of their minds if you asked for more, and this was always commented upon. And, yes, they’d be insulted if you didn’t eat what was on your plate, and that might be commented on as well.

      So while I would not be comfortable eating with your friend or fiancé, I might also factor in what was “normal” with respect to commenting in their cultures/families.

      1. Batgirl*

        “Plus women in the US are socialized to leave food on their plates in social situations”
        Is that really true?!

        1. Socks*

          I mean I never thought about it, but, yeah, huh, I do feel embarrassed if I don’t leave a visible amount of food on my plate, unless I specifically ordered something like a single side as my whole meal, or if I’m sharing with someone else. But looking like I ate a whole food item on my own? Oh god, no way, that’s the worst.

        3. dumblewald*

          I’m a woman in the U.S., and never heard of this, or at least missed the memo. I grew up with immigrant parents who taught me to clean my plate and not waste food. That being said, the comments I get when I clean my plate (see above) might be influenced by the general mentality that women shouldn’t eat a lot or truly enjoy eating. Since moving to my current city, I see this pathology mostly among upper middle class white women, who seem to detest food or at least have a love/hate relationship with it.

        4. Triplestep*

          I’m curious about the backgrounds and ages of the people saying they have never heard or felt that women in the US are socialized to leave some food uneaten in social situations.

          I am 55, cis female, straight, white, educated and was raised in a middle-class home where the mom stayed home and put food on our plates before placing them onto the tables. We (the children) were to eat what was on our plates – no more and no less. My mother was a depression baby and very frugal. My parents did not come from money. By the time I was in high school and eating outside the home, eating with friends, boys, etc, it was clear to me I should “eat like bird” in mixed company.

          I believe this now applies to all women in the US unless they are food insecure. I have seen women of all different ages, races, education levels, etc, leave food on their plates in social situations. It’s the unspoken rule. The closest I’ve ever come to hear it get spoken of is talking at work among women about what is “safe” to eat on a date (salad appears to be the perfect answer; its not too pricey and of course you won’t finish it) and I’ve heard men complain that they take women for a meal only to have them not even eat half of it.

          1. dumblewald*

            Are you sure this is a universal “rule”, though? It’s common to leave food unfinished in restaurants because portion sizes in the U.S. are huge. I am aware that it is not good manners to appear greedy or overindulgent in mixed company, as well as the expectation that women don’t eat much, but none of this translates directly to “leave food on your plate”. Like I mentioned above, I grew up in a family that looked down on wasting food. I was encouraged to only take an amount I could eat and finish that amount. Throwing away food is a like a sin.

            1. Triplestep*

              As I mentioned above, I grew up in family where wasting food was a sin to the point where we weren’t allowed to prepare our own plates, and I still ended up in the “don’t eat it all for appearances” crowd. Also, portion sizes in the US restaurants are not huge across the board. In the more expensive foodie places, the food is artfully arranged on your plate with plenty of plate showing.

              Is it a rule? As far as I’m concerned it’s an unwritten rule that women may or may not realize they are subscribing to. That is what my observations have told me after all these years. YMMV

          2. Batgirl*

            Are people really told to “eat like a bird” though? I am having a hard time imagining that.

    9. Batgirl*

      This is something people in my family/area would say and it pretty much just means ‘oh good; you enjoyed that and it was the right portion for you’.
      It’s also an indirect way of asking a question so you can imply whether you’re still hungry and the host can take care of some seconds for you. In informal situations it’s about someone learning your preferences. (Source is a manual labour family where a good appetite is seen as extremely positive).
      If you don’t want them to say it, just ask? It’s unlikely to be a big deal (probably just repeating proforma sentiments they’ve heard) they can just ask things like did you like that? Or whatever you’re
      comfortable with.

  42. Sam Sepiol*

    After the LGBT+thread the other day I realised/accepted I’m bi. I suppose I’ve known for a long time but discounted it.

    I have signed up on a dating app as looking for women. I’ve not done anything but look yet but there are a couple of women I might like. So, thanks Alison.

    I’m fairly freshly divorced/single so extremely wary but cautiously excited. Much more interested in the idea of dating women than men!

    Wish me luck with this new realisation? I’ve told one real life friend who is a lesbian. Might tell my bi friend when I see her soon.

    1. Sam Sepiol*

      When I say thanks Alison I mean for the thread; it would have taken me much longer to accept this if it wasn’t for reading that thread. Fwiw I also decided to leave the ex husband here, so apparently I come here to make all my life changing decisions.

    3. Myrin*

      Wow, congrats on that realisation! It’s so interesting what coincidental things we happen upon can change about us and our lives! All the best regarding the dating adventures!

      1. Sam Sepiol*

        Honestly, without this website (and Captain awkward) I think I’d still be trundling along being emotionally abused and completely unaware of how my problems weren’t all 100% my own fault. Things have improved SO MUCH because of websites and support from internet strangers. Amazing how these things happen!

    4. Rainy*

      That’s super awesome, and I hope that you have an excellent dating experience.

      Remember when dating other bi women that if you have the habit of letting a guy date make the first move, they might as well, so someone has to make a move at some point if things are going to continue. ;)

    6. Flash Bristow*

      Congrats, and I hope you enjoy bi dating! I find that intimate experiences with women are very different to with men (I guess I’d describe it as a different emotional sensitivity, in a way?) so be aware of that as a possibility.

      It’s all good, tho!

  43. The playdate hostess without the mostest :)*

    I love my kid. And I like my kid’s friends just fine. But I hate hosting playdates. My kid is an only child, so I feel obligated to playdates so that my kids gets social interaction. In our area, most families have 3 or 4 kids, so they don’t have the same need to host play dates. (Or maybe everyone hates play dates? Or maybe my kid is the problem?) I do not know, but I seem to host a lot of play dates and I really don’t enjoy them.

    My kid is 9, and I’ve always hated playdates. And they are certainly easier now than when my kid was younger. But still, it’s loud and chaotic and I worry about the other kid getting hurt. Any advice on how to stop worrying and learn to love (or at least tolerate) play dates?

    1. Junior Dev*

      Not a parent so I don’t know how feasible this is but can you 1) start moving some of their socializing to activities, like chess club or art class or a sport, that doesn’t require your active supervision from you? Maybe a community can’t would have some low-cost options 2) can you coordinate with other parents so you can trade off on supervision rather than you have to do it each time?

      2. Sam Sepiol*

        One day a week I now take my 8 year old to a Pokémon trading card game. He enjoys playing and he’s old enough that I don’t have to supervise. I like chatting to the other parents/grandparents but some just stay close enough to be there but without chatting. Something like this might be an option although it depends where you live/what the kid likes.

        1. Playdate hostess...*

          Holy cow – I wish there was something like that near us. Or even within an hour’s drive of us. I will need to investigate. My kid would love that.

          1. Sam Sepiol*

            It’s at a local bookshop and free! I think they make plenty of money off selling the cards. They also get 3 free cards each (chosen blind) at the end. Try and get a bookshop to set one up maybe? :)

        2. Scarlet Magnolias*

          We did a Pokemon card trading club in our Children’s Library once. The problem was the older kids would trade not so valuable Pokemon cards for valuable ones that younger children owned. There was a fair amount of coercing and bullying going on, and some angry parents turned up complaining that their child had been ripped off. Now we stick to Legos.
          Ah the dirty white underbelly of Childhood programming!

          1. sam sepiol*

            This is for playing the game, not trading te cards, despite the name. It’s 6-16 but the kids won’t let each other make a bum move, they help each other. it’s lovely

      3. Playdate hostess...*

        He’s in a sport, swimming lessons, and another enrichment activity during the sport off-season. But that’s somehow not enough socialising? :D

        1. Lucy*

          He’s of an age where unstructured play is very important. Those activities are all great but they don’t press the same buttons.

          Speaking as a mother-of-several, I have to say that we host (and indeed accept) very few play dates at the moment. The main problem is that when you multiply a couple of after-school activities each by three children you don’t end up with many totally free afternoons. If Fergusette has to be at soccer practice at 6pm then dinner has to fit round that so a playmate for Celestine has to have left by 5.30 latest and that’s already making severe depredations on my bandwidth.

          Our playdates tend therefore to be more logistical – when Fergusette has soccer practice, we’ll have a soccer team mate to play after school and carry on to soccer and meet her mother there to handover. Kills several birds with the one stone.

          If it’s any consolation, it’s a source of enormous mom-guilt to me that my children don’t get all the play dates they’d like, or that my youngest has been hosted more than we have been able to host in return. We try to make up for it in part by contributing in other ways e.g. by hosting the neighbourhood Halloween party, volunteering on the soccer committee and so on. It might be that you could look out for ways in which other parents “pay you back” for those play dates that aren’t as obviously reciprocal – and that might make you feel the relationships are less one sided.

          It’s tough though because we all have our complicated and busy lives not all the details of which we necessarily publicise.

          1. Playdate hostess...*

            Yeah, I totally get that everyone is busy and some people have even more going on than I’m going to know about (like sick parents or whatever). I feel like the only thing I constructively have control over here is my own reaction to playdates, so I’m trying to view them more positively. I just don’t know how. They still seem stress-inducing – even when they go well.

            And thanks for the reminder about unstructured play!

        2. taxweekend*

          My kid was in a similar situation when she was younger. During the sport and swimming lessons, although they’re with other kids … they’re not really socializing – the goofing off/unstructured play type. So, no, sports/lessons aren’t doing that at all

    2. Not So NewReader*

      Are you hosting by yourself? Does the other parent stay with the kid as they visit your home?

      1. Playdate hostess...*

        Well, my husband is around but he often takes the dog for a long walk and he prefers to be fairly non-present during these things. And I think I need to have a talk with him about that. Because he feels like these sessions are important for our kid’s social development but then I feel like he doesn’t shoulder the burden as much. Like all the arranging and most of the supervising are somehow on my plate.

        1. Thursday Next*

          Yeah, this is the marital/relationship equivalent of a government “unfunded mandate.” He needs to step up in hosting, or step back in pressuring you to do so.

      2. Playdate hostess...*

        And yeah, other parents don’t stay at this age. When kids were in preschool yeah, but ever since they started school, no.

    3. Librarian from Space*

      No advice, just wanted to say you are not alone! I’m an introvert with a very extroverted 5-year-old. We’ve only hosted a few so far, but after every one I’m reminded how glad I am that I only have one child!

      1. Playdate hostess...*

        Thank you :) I feel better hearing that. I always feel like everyone else is so much better at the social stuff than I am.

    4. Grapey*

      Only child here, I never had ‘play dates’ unless it was ‘mom visiting her friend and I was stuck interacting with their kids whether I liked them or not’ dates. (I usually did not like them, which taught me self control, patience, and politeness, and that I don’t always get what I want.) Mom never went out of her way to make friends with my friend’s parents for my sake outside of “did she behave at your house? good. talk to you another time! Bye!”

      I was in public school and on the town soccer team and that was good enough for me and my mom. Does your child WANT playdates? I was happy reading a book and playing by myself…still am!

      Kids can get social interaction just fine with adults IMO. Most of my friends are actually older than me and I’ve only started to like people my age now that I’m in my 30’s lol.

      1. KR*

        On the other hand I was an only child and felt lonely a lot because my parents were willing to have my friends over or drop me off at a friend’s house (assuming their parents equally split the work of driving us across town otherwise they would get resentful) but didn’t really do anything to try to be friendly with my friends parents or facilitate social time. I sometimes wished they would be more accommodating because I felt very alone trying to figure out social time all by myself as an 8 or 9 year old.

      2. Playdate hostess...*

        Thanks to both of you for sharing your experiences as only children. We didn’t set out to have an only – it’s just how things ended up. My kid loves interacting with adults, but kids are more difficult for him, so if nothing else, he needs the practice. (And he does want playdates – he asks for them all the time.)

    5. Madge*

      I can relate to all of this. And yes, I consider it part of the price of only having one that I need to be more on top of my kid’s social interaction and I’m willing to drive longer distances (both ways) to make a playdate happen. Also to nag my kid so she plans things ahead of time instead of wanting to plan a big party the day of. I also assume that playdates are less important and harder for parents with more than one kid. If your kid was the problem you’d know, so don’t even go there. I find other parents are glad we thought of it and the kids appreciate it too.

      You don’t have much longer. Your kid is right on the edge of a huge maturity phase where kids move from playing to hanging out. As you know, you can get more done with two than with one, so schedule projects during that time and use doors and ambient noise to keep from hearing anything but the crashes. For me, hearing my kid’s awkward conversational skills was just painful, even though her friends didn’t mind, so I did my best not to hear them.

      1. Playdate hostess...*

        “your kid was the problem you’d know, so don’t even go there”

        Thank you….you have no idea how much I needed to hear that. :)

    6. ExoticButters*

      I never learned to love playdates. They are just not for me. Once my kids got to about 10, I stopped trying to arrange them, thank goodness! I do not miss them at all. Making awkward small talk with people who would not be my friends, just because we all have kids the same age, is such a dismal activity, although I always tried to find some joy in it.

    7. Flash Bristow*

      Given your kid’s age, can they not just play in the local area with others? When we lived (briefly) on an estate in a countryside area there were loads of kids about in the street or on the swings with bikes or footballs, and my younger sibling would go out and join in. The same seems to apply here too (east London, 25 years later) and all the local kids get along together, but unless it’s a birthday nobody actually hosts anything, per se.

      You can always walk your kid to the nearby hangout and introduce them, then ask one of the older kids if they’d look out for yours (I’m thinking 11 or 12, not a gang of teens) – they’re often proud to be asked. Especially if you bring biscuits to leave with them…

      I’m not a parent so take with a pinch of salt, but I’ve seen it work over and over.

      1. Owler*

        Not the original poster, but no, not for me and my kid. There is no local kid hangout—either parents are too timid to let their kids run free or no one is home because parents work and kids are in after-school care programs. And middle school aged kids are more likely hanging out in their own homes and doing stuff online or are in scheduled practices, like for sports or music lessons.
        I would love for my child to free-range more, but I have been unsuccessful in helping her do so in our urban area. I arrange a lot of playdates because she and I are both introverts by nature, and if I don’t push us to socialize, we’d spend all day on the couch reading. (Which is fine too, but in moderation!)

      2. Playdate hostess...*

        We live in a rural area – it takes 15 minutes to drive to school in the nearest town. The nearest friend is about the same length – and it’s not like he can bike on these roads with their 50MPH speed limits. And kids don’t really hang out in the town the way they might in a subdivision or estate. So, sadly, free-ranging just isn’t feasible.

  44. WellRed*

    Going on a birthday outing that is not something I have any desire to do and is overpriced to boot! Its a foot soak with tea ( tea costs extra). It doesn’t help that I am on week one of a 3-week no paycheck cycle. Hopefully it will be better than expected but I am practicing my positive attitude; ) I know. First world problems.

    1. Thursday Next*

      How did you get roped into this? is it a group outing?

      I think it will probably be more relaxing than you expect…just let yourself relax into accepting this outing and this service.

    2. Lady Jay*

      I mean, I once called in sick rather than go to a b-day outing I had no desire to do (expensive dinner & a movie I had no interest in, during the middle of the work week) . . . so there’s always that.

      But you’ll probably enjoy it if you go–good luck!

    3. WellRed*

      It was fun and we went to lunch after. Not something I feel a need to repeat, but a lovely experience.

      1. Flash Bristow*

        Oh good! I’m glad – and I hope you’re not feeling the pinch from the cost for too long.

  45. bassclefchick*

    @fposte –

    Well, would you look at that?! As of the election this week, Paul Soglin is NOT the mayor of Madison anymore. Huh. Hopefully, Ms. Rhodes-Conway will do great things!

    1. fposte*

      They’ve thought that before, but then a few years down the line, there he is, mayor again. He’s like a mayoral homing pigeon.

  46. Aerin*

    I saw The Play that Goes Wrong last night and I was *howling*. It was basically a catalogue of every single thing that can possibly mess up a live performance. Many of which I’ve experienced personally…

    I think my favorite was when they go to carry out the body (it’s a murder mystery) and the stretcher rips as they go to pick it up. The two guys carrying it just take the remaining poles offstage, leaving the body behind. So then the corpse has to try to awkwardly flop his way offstage while two other actors are having a scene.

    I’VE DONE THAT. My first show ever was a summer school thing of Wizard of Oz, and I was both the Wicked Witch and the Scarecrow. (Yeah.) And somehow we never rehearsed the whole thing straight through, so when the show came I got done melting and was crouched in a ball under my cape… then realized I had to get offstage because I had the first line of the next scene as the Scarecrow and I had to get changed. So while Dorothy (my little sister) gave her monologue, I just started slooooooowly backing my way toward the stage door, hoping it was subtle. It was not. The audience went nuts.

    I think it’s the first time I’ve ever seen a play (as opposed to a musical) on tour. Wish it would happen more often.

    2. Glomarization, Esq.*

      Sounds like “Noises Off” on crack. I’ll be looking for this when it comes around!

      1. Aerin*

        That’s what my husband said as well! I haven’t seen Noises Off but I know we own the script for it.

        1. LizB*

          The script for Noises Off is fun to read but kinda challenging — there’s a whole act where each page is divided into two columns, one giving the lines/action for onstage and one for backstage, because the coordination of the two parts of the action is super important. One of my favorite plays to see. I need to check out The Play That Goes Wrong!

    3. Claire (Scotland)*

      It’s SUCH a good show! I saw it a couple of years ago in the West End and adored it.

    4. Thursday Next*

      I saw it in December and was surprised at how much I laughed—my abs hurt! It was definitely what I needed at the time, morale-wise (and abs-wise). I loved it and am considering taking my son to see it.

    5. Will there be a life-size statue of the Taj Mahal made out of cheese straws?*

      Oh, yes. We saw it in London and loved it so much we went the next night to see another play being put on by the same company (The Comedy About a Bank Robbery – does what it says on the tin). Thanks for the reminder, because I’ve been meaning to get tickets for the current U.S. tour!

  47. Junior Dev*

    Mental health thread! How are you doing? What are you struggling with? What are you proud of?

    I’m proud of getting through my first week back at work after disability leave. It was hard and I felt close to panic a lot but overall I did a good job of taking breaks to go breathe when that happened.

    I’m also proud of continuing to move apartments, last night I talked to a friend who it looks like is going to become a roommate—and I’ve wanted to live with someone for a while but also been extremely self-conscious about whether anyone would want to live with me. And today in a few minutes I’m off to go move furniture with my family members, including my uncle who has a pickup truck.

    I’ve biked to work three days this week and it’s really helping with sleep and mood, but can be stressful and tiring.

    How are you doing?

    1. Aerin*

      I’ve been really struggling to get stuff done around the house. I can cope pretty well with the things that regularly need doing (like dishes and sorting the mail) but with everything else I just don’t know where to start. I was able to get a couple of major things done this week, though, so hopefully I can start making more progress.

      Also, these solid grey skies we’re getting are *not* helping. Even with my Happy Light it’s so hard to get myself up and moving.

    2. Red*

      I’m proud of you, too! That first day after getting back from disability leave is always the worst.

      I’m proud of myself, also. I’ve still been struggling hard with self harm, but I haven’t done it yet. I keep saying “you can do it tomorrow, if you still want to”, and so far, it’s not tomorrow yet :)

      I’m thinking of getting back into running. I know it’s good for me (mentally and physically), but omg, it is so hard to get out there. I just want to run that 10k with my friend that I promised I would do last year. I ended up in the psychiatric hospital instead, which is a good reason to break a promise, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want to hold myself to my word anyway. And besides, it sounds like a good time. From what she tells me, there’s a parade afterwards! And it’s always nice to run with a friend.

      1. Junior Dev*

        Ooh yay running! I have enough joint issues that I don’t do it any more but I used to really love it. I’m getting back into biking and I actually am feeling excited about it, which is honestly not a way I’ve felt often in a long time. I hope you figure out an amount of running that works for you—10k is a lot! I keep dreaming of riding a century (100 miles) but I think it would probably be healthier and more realistic for me to sign up for a shorter event, like 20 or 40 miles.

    3. PBJnocrusts*

      I’m proud that I walked for 30 minutes today. I’m proud I ate only one square of dark chocolate:) I have 3 possible jobs to apply for. Must not lose hope.

    4. ShortT*

      I have social anxiety and depression.

      I take 100mg of sertraline daily. I also exercise six days per week, doing five one-hour cardio sessions and lifting weights for forty minutes three times per week. I also do yoga a few times per week, either at my local studio or at home.

      I’ve become reasonably good at keeping my apartment uncluttered and clean. That helps with my anxiety.

      I’m proud that, this past week, I cut ties with a friend who made excessive demands on my time and demanded to know what I’d be doing whenever I didn’t agree to plans. It reached the point of emotional exhaustion whenever his number appeared on my phone. The tipping point was my requesting no contact until after Passover, only to arrive home a few evenings later to a long apology letter, saying that he thought that I didn’t deserve to wait until after Passover, and an attempt to explain. I was livid. I fired off a text saying that he hadn’t jeopardized our friendship until he chose to violate a boundary that I’d clearly set because of how *he* felt, then ordered him to never contact me again, ever.

  48. Shrunken Hippo*

    It’s a funny story but I now have two dogs. On March 18 a family member asked if we would take in a young puppy due to some unforeseen problems and we said yes. When we first got the puppy, who we named Moby, we were looking after a friend’s dog for a week. It turns out that after that week when he went home he kept trying to escape out of the yard, wouldn’t cuddle with the owners, wouldn’t play with their other dog, and kept trying to hew his way out of the house. They were already thinking of rehoming one of their dogs so they called this past Tuesday and asked if we would take him in. It took a day of going over budgets so make sure we could afford him but we decided yes. So now we have Teddy and he’s been super cuddly with us and he loves to play with Moby. I feel kind of bad for the former owners because I think we may have broken their dog.

    I’m glad we have two dogs now because they can wear each other out, and it looks hilarious when they fight. Moby is a yorkie/dachshund/maltese cross, and Teddy is a lhasa apso/shih tzu cross who was the biggest in his litter. Half the time Moby bites Teddy’s fur and Teddy will just ignore him and keep walking, and the other half of the time Teddy just flops on the floor and starts to roll right over Moby to get him to let go. Moby is going to be fully vaccinated in just over a month and I can’t wait to take him on a walk with Teddy. Teddy is a very good nanny dog because he always makes sure that Moby is cleaning himself properly, startles and whimpers if Moby is barking (even if it’s just because he’s dreaming), and is starting to let us know that Moby needs to go out to pee. I love them both and I’m very grateful that we were given them.

    3. NoLongerYoung*

      Congratulations. Mixes of some of my favorite small breeds, and (in my experience) love sponges. Tummy rubs and puppy kisses from this corner!

  49. Lizabeth*

    The guy that invented Paint by Number kits back in the fifties passed away. Anyone remember doing them? Used to go crazy for the horse ones but alas none of them survived of the ones I painted. I didn’t know he was from Ohio, either.

    1. WellRed*

      I saw that! It’s funny: everything has ti be thought up by someone, but we don’t…think of that.

    2. Tiara Wearing Princess*

      I loved those! Remember those little plastic pots that held the paint! I had to be so careful not to spill any when I flicked open the lid.

    5. Rovannen*

      I have one that my grandfather did back in the 50’s or 60’s. It hung in their house for decades, now it’s under my bed. I can’t seem to throw it out. Maybe I’ll find a lonely wall in my house for it.

    6. Jaid*

      Paint with Diamonds kits with a similar set up. The “diamonds” (plastic crystals) are organized by numbers and get placed on the picture according to the numbered square.

  50. The Cosmic Avenger*

    Adulting thread!

    It must be just after the vernal equinox, because I had a sudden burst of productivity! I put a new shutter thingie over my laptop’s camera (the last one fell off), made some calls I had been putting off, put away some stuff that had sat out for weeks…for me, that’s the surest sign of spring, a whirlwind of motivation and productivity! :D

    Monday morning I have to call about some investment thing I just got a message about, and I’m damn well going to do it, because I set an Outlook reminder to do it! Anyone ever dealt with a consent solicitation for a bond issue? I have never heard of this before, apparently “the company is soliciting consents to proposed amendments to the notes
    indenture”. OK….

    1. Laura H.*

      Finally got some stupid paperwork in! (Took me 3 hours to print and organize it, and maybe about an hour and a half total to get them all downloaded before that!) The most painless part was the trip to the post office!

    2. The Cosmic Avenger*

      Oh! I can’t believe I forgot, earlier this week I ran some bleach through the clean cycle on the washing machine (after draining and cleaning the filter), and just after I started the thread I ran vinegar through the coffee maker!

    3. LizB*

      Yesterday I made appointments with the dentist and ENT, tried to make an optometrist appointment but was trying to schedule too far out in the future for them, refilled my meds before they ran out, exercised three times, did a ton of laundry, made a tasty and healthy-ish dinner and turned the leftovers into breakfast today.

      (That all makes up for the fact that my car is almost outta gas and definitely needs more air in the tires, right? …right?)

      1. The Cosmic Avenger*

        IMO there are no point deductions in Adulting, because there are probably an infinite number of things you could get done. :) Making medical appointments is one of the worst for me, mostly because it involves calling people I don’t know. If they had an online appointment system, I would be all over that! (I think my primary doctor does, but I just make my next yearly checkup appt. after each checkup.)

    4. just a random teacher*

      I got my taxes finished yesterday! I have to put the state taxes in the mail on Monday since I didn’t want them to sit clipped to my mail flap all weekend, but the envelope is sealed, the papers have all been filled out, and I will not be dealing with it next weekend at the last possible minute.

      Today, I actually left the house and went to more than 5 different stores to buy all of the things that had been accumulating on the “I can still get dressed and go to work tomorrow without this, but…” list. I now have UV-blocking shirts to wear this summer, a better place to put soap in the shower, eggs to dye for Easter, and multiple kinds of beer in the fridge.

  51. Llama Face!*

    New name- is it yours?
    Hi everyone, I’m a longtime reader and occasional commenter. I’ve decided it’s time to change my username on here since I’ve been getting more uncomfortable using one with my real name in it. I thought I’d go with Llama Face! (Emperor’s New Groove reference) but wanted to double check that my site search didn’t miss someone already using that name. So if it’s your username already please let me know and I’ll switch. :)

    1. I hate coming up with usernames*

      Hahaha I literally just bought my kids shirts that say Llame Face with Kuzco’s face. A+ reference

    2. Jane of all Trades*

      That is really thoughtful – I saw another user with my name on here a few months back and it threw me off. Haven’t seen them since though.
      I haven’t seen anybody use your new name though – love the reference!

    4. MissDisplaced*

      With the exception of LinkedIn, I don’t use my real name on social media. I need to be careful because of work. It’s not that I’m doing or saying anything bad, but I value my privacy via anonymity

  52. Jessen*

    All my painting stuff and bead stuff is in and it’s such a nice day out for me to take things out to the backyard to paint. I’m so excited! This has been my reward for getting a lot of things tidied up, too – the dresser’s finally clean enough to actually start work.

    1. Jessen*

      And I appear to have seriously underestimated the amount of sanding and overestimated how long I can do it for. This may take longer than anticipated.

      1. Dr. Anonymous*

        Boo! Can you afford to rent a small sander from a home store? Speeds things up quite a bit.

      2. Everdene*

        I would second getting a small sander. I actually bought ours as it was so cheap and saved loads of time.

  53. Teapot Translator*

    I broke the screen of my phone (Samsung A5) this week. It’s still working because it will buzz from time to time when I receive an email. I got a new phone, and I went to a store to see if they could get my data from the old phone. No luck. I’m very sad. I can’t believe we can do all kinds of technological stuff, but we can’t retrieve my data.

    1. Anonymous Educator*

      Only the screen is broken? If so, what happens when you plug the phone into a computer via USB-C? Is there a MicroSD card in the phone that you can remove?

      1. Teapot Translator*

        The computer recognizes the phone as an external drive but thinks there’s nothing in it. I probably never authorized the computer to access it.

  54. Lady Jay*

    Movie/TV recommendation thread! What have you been watching recently that you’ve enjoyed?

    I’ll start it off with two. :) I finally got around to Altered Carbon, after getting a friend’s rec, and with a few caveats (some race/gender stuff; ask if you want to know) I loved that the story drew on classic sci-fi tropes & still felt fresh and surprising. Thematic questions about power/wealth imbalances and one’s ethical compass also felt very timely. Poe was my favorite character!

    I also watched Good Girls (1st season only, 2nd isn’t on Netflix yet)–and loved it! Weirdly for a crime show, it feels empowering for women, and it was also pretty funny at the right times.

    What do you recommend?

    1. Aerin*

      Last show I binged was Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. I’m now obsessed. Such great characters and writing, and a fantastic slow burn romance.

      Last weekend we rented Anna and the Apocalypse, which we missed in theaters. It looked so good from the trailers (zombie Christmas musical), but I wasn’t sure if it was going to deliver. Thankfully it did. Music is great, zombie stuff is great, good choreography for both dancing and combat, nice payoffs and it surprised me who survived and who didn’t. Highly recommend.

      I’m in the market for another good heist show. Might end up just rewatching Leverage because it’s been a while.

    3. Anonymous Educator*

      Recently got into The Good Fight and Jordan Peel’s The Twilight Zone (CBS). Also really enjoyed She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and Hasan Minhaj’s Patriot Act (Netflix). And Never Forever and Hello, I Must Be Going (Amazon).

    4. Seeking Second Childhood*

      We’re working our way through Agents of shield at the request of the middle schooler and I’m loving it like I remember loving Get Smart as a kid. With more & better special effects.

    6. Ann O.*

      I’m starting Shtisel on Netflix based on some friends’ recommendations. I’m not very far into it, but it’s interesting. It’s an Israeli series about a haredi family and cultural clashes between self/community.

    8. Anonymous Educator*

      Oh! Two major things coming up for second seasons (and the first seasons were so good): Cloak & Dagger and Killing Eve!

    9. Foreign Octopus*

      I really enjoyed Altered Carbon and Good Girls again. I want season 2 of GG to drop on Netflix because I need to find out what decision Beth made.

      I’ve recently finished season three of Hell on Wheels and I’m enjoying it. Also, you might like the Expanse. It’s not on Netflix any more sadly but if you have Amazon Prime then the three seasons are available there. I’m also on episode two of Queer Eye and I was true to form and sobbed at the first episode. Those guys just bring the tears.

    10. catasaway*

      Husband and I are watching Osmosis on Netflix. It’s a French show and kind of Black Mirror-ish, but this show recognizes more that the humans using the a technology will have a bigger effect on whether the tech is good or evil than good vs evil being inherent in the tech itself.

    11. Nicole76*

      Kim’s Convenience on Netflix is a funny “sitcom” without the laugh track. Found it thanks to a recommendation on Reddit and binge-watched the first two seasons in two weeks. Season 3 just finished airing in Canada and is now on Netflix so I’ll probably tear through that quickly because when I really love something I can’t seem to pace myself.

    12. Nacho*

      I’ve spent all day binging Umbrella Academy on Netflix. I read the comics years ago, and I can still remember a lot of the plot points, but I’m 90% sure it’s deviating on at least some of them, and it’s definitely fun seeing it in live action. I definitely recommend it

    13. Llellayena*

      I’m binge watching Numb3rs at the moment. I like thinking that I actually understand the math.

    14. Elizabeth West*

      I really liked Altered Carbon. I binged the crap out of it when it first came on. Russian Doll is also amazing, even better than AC.

      I also just started Black Butler–I love it! Season 1 is on Netflix but I’m going to have to go to Crunchyroll for the rest. I signed up but I didn’t realize the free version was only a trial, so I didn’t finish activating it. I will do it when I’m ready to binge the rest of it and then cancel (and hope they don’t start charging me until I can renew it later when I find a job).

    15. MissDisplaced*

      American Gods
      Love the twist on classic world mythology and new myths and the role of religion (or not). Killer cast and gorgeously cinematically. Plus… Neil Gaiman.

  55. lapgiraffe*

    Wrote in probably two months ago about a friendship that has run its course, at least for me, but not knowing how to end it. I don’t have a great update, I worked out everything I wanted to say with all the input from here (which was wonderful, thank you!) and basically just typed and typed my feelings over the course of a week, a great therapeutic exercise to really dig into what’s bothering me, and to do so over different days where one day I was more analytical, another day more angry, another day more compassionate, so I kinda saw through a lot of emotions on that front.

    My bestie and I also discussed all these comments and agreed with many of you that a conversation in person would be best for many reasons, including some related to him hearing Celeste Headlee at a conference talk about meaningful conversations (it seems she’s written a whole book on this and looking to check it out). However, between lots of big changes in her life, being very busy (in the best way!) with my work, and still being fearful of her reaction, I haven’t had this conversation with her.

    But what has happened in those months is a confirmation that this friend is the issue from learning about a few other things with other people, her acting the same way she acted with me but with people she doesn’t have a long shared history, or in other words she treats people both intimate relationships and casual acquaintances with the same disregard. This has been important for me because until now there has been a lot of guilt on my end about where I’ve let her down, how maybe I’ve not been the best friend in XYZ way, basically a thorough if not overdone analysis of myself so as to be fair to her and fair to our long friendship.

    She’s also picked up that I’m not open to her emotional hand holding needs, and has gone to another mutual friend for this in the last few weeks as she prepared to quit a job. This mutual friend doesn’t know her nearly as well, but has always felt bad for her and has been the primary person who questions me when I want to end it, says “there’s so much shared history!” and “she really needs a friend and is lonely!” But now that she’s on the receiving end of what I endured for years, she’s already annoyed and dodging her as best she can. And since my old friend has finally picked up on the fact that I’m not showing up as her friend like I used to, which I know indirectly from the lack of communication and directly because it was finally mentioned to the mutual friend, it’s been convenient, if cowardly, to just continue as I have been.

    So all that to say, after two months and some changes afoot, I’ve done a 180 and think the fade away is the game plan, at least unless/until she confronts me. Doing the emotional homework on this allowed me to see that I’ve had the conversations with her time and time again, have been direct and compassionate and tried to work through things with her, and that it never worked. Having a conversation now would either a) not be heard by her nor result in any meaningful change and/or b) be very selfish of me because I would love nothing more at this point than to tell her all the ways she has failed me as a friend. And frankly it took her three years to figure out that I was upset, despite me being extremely direct about it for a year and then considerably less available to her for the following two. The fade away was the white flag for me, and I’ve accepted it.

    1. Not So NewReader*

      If you ever see this again, you will know immediately what it is and extract yourself much sooner. It’s rough, I am sorry. But you made good choices here.

      1. valentine*

        You can text her it’s run its course and be done.

        I suspect most people who insist you stay with someone don’t want that person turning to them in your absence.

  56. BRR*

    What cookbooks do people like? I’m going through an intense cooking phase and finally got through all of the ones I had on hold at the library. I’ve looked through the standards. I loved Thomas Keller’s because I feel like I learned a lot from them, adhoc was really the only one I’ve cooked from though. Chrissy Teigen’s were amazing, the recipes have all been great and reheat well (that’s a huge plus for me).

    Also a big thank you to the commenter a few weeks back who recommended flour, water, salt, yeast. I’ve been making some killer bread and got the pizza book as well.

    1. lapgiraffe*

      Smitten kitchen!! Both the blog and her books, taking simple and classic things and elevating them just enough with only a few extra steps that make a world of difference.

      Also been loving Melissa Clarks’s “Dinner” for a while now, spot on recipes and have had next to no issues.

      1. BRR*

        I love smitten kitchen! I’ve weirdly had a couple misses from the blog but the book recipes have always turned out well.

      2. Lissajous*

        Smitten Kitchen’s guinness chocolate cake is my go-to for chocolate cakes. Amazing oomph in flavour, but it’s not overly rich and heavy like a mudcake. And it is super adaptable for variations – I used it as the base for a plum, cardamom and chocolate cake, worked excellently.
        Actually most of her recipes are very forgiving – I don’t even bother converting from American cups to Australian. And yesterday I made some of her brownies, tossed a whole lot of extra cocoa in (like, probably half to 3/4 of a cup) to compensate for only having mostly milk chocolate on hand, and they still came out their tasty, tasty brownie selves.

    2. Midwest Engineer*

      I love Run Fast Eat Slow and Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow! They are geared towards runners (which I am) but my non-running family enjoys the recipes too. Run Fast Eat Slow is more of a fancy cookbook, though there are some more down to earth recipes. Run Fast Cook Fast Eat Slow is much more a book aimed at people with various cooking abilities and time. It has some recipes that are more like formula you can use to make your own version of things, which I really like. Pretty much everything I’ve made from both cookbooks reheats well.

    3. ThatGirl*

      I just got two Rick Bayless cookbooks for my birthday and I’m excited to try them. I also like Alton Brown (more of a technique book) and Mark Bittman.

    4. Seeking Second Childhood*

      Too many of my books are still in storage from the move but… the 3 I’ve found myself looking for are:
      False Tongues & Sunday Bread.
      Sixty Minute Gourmet.
      The Joy of Cooking.

      1. Lilith*

        I second Joy of Cooking as a reference cb. I have a couple of Ina Garten’s cbs. So much is online tho if you don’t have much space.

      2. Nicki Name*

        I was raised with The Joy of Cooking and Fannie Farmer, and they’re still my go-to standards.

        1. Elspeth McGillicuddy*

          Yep. Joy and Fannie. What you primarily need cookbooks for nowadays, in my opinion, is trustworthy basics. Google will pull up a gazillion options for me for interesting recipes. But I don’t need a gazillion white cake recipes. I need one good one.

          Also, every kitchen should have a few random ‘collected recipes’ cookbooks. You know, the ones that were published by the Baptist church ladies from a small town your cousin used to live in? Or the pork growers association? They aren’t practical like Joy. But they’re totally fun.

          1. Lucy*

            I have Delia Smith “How to Cook” (massive, black cover – my copy is old enough to drive and was a reprint of a reprint) for the former, and one from Good Housekeeping for the latter. I cull cookbooks ruthlessly but those always survive.

            When I say ruthlessly, I mean it. Cookbooks are ridiculously bulky for my little kitchen but people persist in giving me them. I currently own precisely three, plus a folder in which I keep single recipes cut from magazines or photocopied from books I have retired – I don’t keep an entire book if I only loved a couple of recipes, but give it to the library or charity shop.

            The third book, by the way, is the first Hummingbird Bakery book. It’s now so ragged (pages glued together with splashes of mixture) I’m considering getting another copy to replace it. I bake a lot and that book has a good range of recipes for all occasions.

          2. Overeducated*

            I 100% agree. In the last few years I’ve moved away from internet recipes and back to cookbooks because you know cookbook stuff tends to be well tested, you can select for reputation and good reviews, they are (generally) just more reliable. The internet has quantity but lacks quality control.

    5. Lizabeth*

      Red Truck Bakery
      Alton Brown’s Good Eats cookbooks (there’s 3 and great explanations if you liked his show)
      Baking with Julia
      Victory Garden Fish and Vegetable cookbook
      Simply Ming
      Anything American Test Kitchen or Cook’s Country

      1. NoLongerYoung*

        Five boxes of cookbooks and still buying
        (Got Joy of cooking un 1979 and still treasure).
        But have been loving the Americas Test Kitchen ones
        Working my way through the big ring bound one, the cooking for 2, and the best of TV show multi-year. So far, great.
        Family of bakers here, but I needed some creativity for dinner!

    6. Overeducated*

      Six Seasons is my favorite I’ve picked up in the last year. My spouse’s current favorite is Land of Plenty.

    7. Lady Kelvin*

      The Food Lab by Kenji Lopez-Alt
      Its more of a technique book but I learned a lot about how to cook and build good foods from a framework instead of a specific recipe, and what recipes there are inside are tasty. For example, he explains all the components of a marinade and why each piece is important and how to combine them to make things taste good, like oil, spices, acids, etc.

      1. Kiki*

        I second this! I liked this book a lot because I’ve always wanted to be able to create my own recipes but never felt like I knew enough to do so. This book was a huge help for that and I’ve been doing a lot more experimenting in the kitchen

    8. Shamelessly Plugging Friends*

      If it’s ok I’ll plug my friend’s two books, one currently available and one on pre order … She is Burmese/British so some flavours and techniques are likely to be new to you – it seems like that’s the kind of challenge and inspiration some commenters are after!

      First link, “Noodle!”, her exploration of noodle dishes from all over Asia – https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1472905679/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_1472905679

      Second link, “Mandalay”, focusing on Burmese cuisine, pre order (for June) – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mandalay-Recipes-Tales-Burmese-Kitchen/dp/1472959493/ref=mp_s_a_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=3MIYJWTAETSV7&keywords=mandalay+mimi+aye&qid=1554628765&s=gateway&sprefix=mandalay+&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

    9. JediSquirrel*

      Anything by Mark Bittman. Also, I love those cookbooks that church groups or other similar groups sell as fundraisers. They’re full of recipes by mostly grandmas; I have found some great recipes in them. Caveat: they’re not always the healthiest recipes (think butter–lots and lots of butter) and the directions are not always clear. “Bake until done” is often given, but no temperature is provided. Covered or uncovered? But they’re mostly tasty.

      1. ThatGirl*

        The more formal Mennonite cookbooks tend to be better edited, but I have several old community cookbooks that are exactly as you describe.

      2. Clisby*

        I love those cookbooks, but I don’t think they’re for novice cooks. Way too many will include ingredients like “1 medium eggplant” and “1 large onion” without giving any idea of what a “medium” eggplant or a “large” onion is. I’ve seen some where ingredients are obviously (to an experienced cook) wrong. Like “3 heads of garlic” when what they really mean is “3 cloves of garlic.” Or instructions to make a cream sauce or roux that tell you to start with 5 TBS of butter and 5 TSP of flour. That will not work.

    10. Anonymouse for this*

      What a great thread – only downside is my amazon shopping list will be increasing with cookbooks to pick up when I’m back in the UK in a couple of weeks – I just can’t do kindle for cookbooks. Smitten kitchen looks great.

      Am trying to cook more lately so I eat real food instead of vegging on sofa with a bag of chips/dip. I’ve been using Nigel Slater’s books – very forgiving recipes. Test Kitchen cooking for 2 for variety. Mark Bittman – food matters and Sophie Grigson – vegetarian feasts for interesting veg options

      1. BRR*

        I’ve been doing ebooks from the library and taking screen shots. I don’t know if it’s a screen thing but this helps with cost.

        1. Anonymouse for this*

          I never think to do that – will have to start. But yeah – it’s a book vs ebook thing for me. I like the tactile sensation of flicking back and forth through the pages of a book. And the little memory nudges I get when I see a page splattered with something that reminds me of when/why I made that recipe.

  57. Batgirl*

    Does anyone have any good packing hacks for when you feel you are living out of a bag?
    I am in the middle of house hunting with my partner right now and it is tumble weeds out there.
    We are both living back home but I stay at his place a lot and I am beginning to get seriously tired of nomadic life. I was good at weekend packing initially but it has all gone to hell. Possibly because it’s end of term and my energy level is ‘can’t be arsed’ and ‘Oh thank gods the Easter break is finally here ‘ and not ‘Ooh packing is fun!’
    Currently I seem to be stuffing half of everything I own into a weekend bag, which also serves the purpose of injuring my shoulder. I then somehow miss something vital like the right shoes, or something weather appropriate (Northern UK spring; veering from hailstones to sunshine).
    I’ve tried leaving things at his, only to them miss them when I’m back at mine. I also keep finding myself in the gym without something in my wash bag because it’s at his place. I should probably be using my car boot more.
    His place is infinitely better for weekend activities and stuff to do or I would say enough and have him stay with me.
    Any organisational tips I can steal?

    1. Not A Manager*

      If you can afford it, try to get duplicates of the small items that you’re always trying to remember and hunt down before you go. I have a little “travel box” of duplicates, and while I don’t take everything on every trip, it’s a lot easier to pull out the box and pick what I need than to go through my house for everything.

      I travel a lot, so my dupe box is pretty comprehensive. I have spare power cords, a set of travel makeup, all my toiletries including little travel sizes of my favorite brands, detergent pods, some snack bars, sunscreen, exercise band, and a hotel coffee setup – among other things.

      You’re not going to put hiking boots into your box, but you could have, say, spare toiletries, a set of essential clothing and underthings, etc.

      1. just a random teacher*

        Duplicate travel items also really helped me when I was living “on the go” as a live-in petsitter. Every time I forgot something reasonably cheap, I’d go buy a new one (I’d generally try the dollar store first for things like nail clippers), and I had a compartment of my travel duffel bag where I kept all of that stuff and never unpacked it at home. (I’d go through and declutter it a few times a year or whenever it got full enough to have trouble zipping.)

        For clothes, try packing outfits in days rather than trying to remember to pack x pairs of y item. For my last big trip (a little over a week away for Worldcon last summer), I bought sweater storage bags (at the dollar store), wrote a day of the week on each one with permanent marker, and then packed that day’s clothes into that bag. You can also buy “real” travel bags, but they cost more than the cheap sweater bags I bought and I knew I wouldn’t need them again any time soon. For shorter trips where I’m less likely to lose count of days, I can just lay out that many days of some large item (pants, shirts, whatever), stack the rest of each day’s outfit on that large item, and roll the whole thing up. (I also keep a couple of extra pairs of clean underwear and socks in the bottom of my duffel bag just in case, and leave them in there (or replace them, depending) when I unpack the rest of the bag.)

        I also had a separate bag for kitchen stuff, but that probably is less of a thing in your situation. One of my regular clients didn’t have a coffeemaker, so I’d be hauling a coffeemaker, a coffee grinder, and a bunch of groceries around with me. I ended up using a pop-up bag designed for groceries that had a good mix of compartments as my kitchen bag.

    2. Not So NewReader*

      I like to line things up the night before. I can catch some of my mistakes in the morning when I give it the final look over.

  58. Nervous Accountant*

    Those of you who lost a significant amount of weight via diet and exercise (any kind not a specific regime)….at what point did you feel better? Not necessarily the looks part but the feeling part.

    I’m attempting to do a “low carb” diet and I’ve lost 6 lbs over 2 weeks. I have read so many personal accounts and from my friends too who say they feel a difference after 3 days and feel energetic, lifted moods, overall amazing after just a few days. No movement on the scale but clothes feel looser. I’m just not feeling any of that. Still tired, still have leg pain etc.

    I should add that this is the first time I’m really tracking and conscious of my weight and what I’m eating. I’m not too concerned yet about not “looking” like it but I just don’t feel as amazing as I thought I would if I lost 6 lbs.

    1. DCR*

      I don’t know what size you are, but I wouldn’t notice 6 pounds. I fluctuate that much based on time of month, if I had a big weekend, i’m dehydrated etc. personally, I really started to notice around 15 pounds. But if you’re a small person Already, i assume it would be sooner

      1. Nervous Accountant*

        Ahhh good point! I guess this goes back to never really checking my weight before, I may have lost/gained the same amount and not felt it. So when I thought I had gained 5 lbs and felt AWFUL I may have gained more.

        I’m not even expecting to look different or wea ra smaller size right away, just want that “feeling” that everyone says they get when they lose weight healthily.

        1. valentine*

          The time of day matters as well. Maybe first thing is best? And you might feel better about the whole thing if you only weigh yourself monthly and then stick to whatever food and activity you do, so you’re not upset or being harsh on yourself. If your goal is more a feeling or even a clothing size, rather than a weight, not focusing on that number and not letting the scale loom large will help you. After more than 20 years, I only bought a scale because I wanted to know beforehand what my doctors were about to judge me on.

          1. Nervous Accountant*

            So far I’ve been sticking to Monday morning, first thing in the morning, no clothes on. I mean overall goal is to be healthy/better quality of life, but in smaller pieces.. like feeling better, etc.

      2. KR*

        Yeah this. I go up and down five pounds through out the day. Give it time and you’ll get there.

    2. Batgirl*

      I did a skin diet aimed at eliminating things which might be aggravating my psoriasis, it was very low on white, processed carbs amongst other things and I shifted a lot of weight.
      I started feeling amazing almost straight away but that’s not really surprising given that wheat kicks off my psoriasis, bloats my stomach and makes me feel comatose-level sleepy. I didn’t find that out until later in re-introduction though.
      I was also getting a boat load of nutrition from all the fruits and veggies I was eating.
      For me personally, loss of weight is not what makes me feel better – it’s more like what kind of fuel matters more than how much fuel.
      You say ‘low carb’ but there are lots of different types of carbs out there and lots of different types of people.
      I feel wonderful when I replace bread and pasta with broccoli and sweet potato but those things do not make my IBS boyfriend feel very good.
      I also feel great on a keto style diet where carbs are replaced with a bit more fat. That would make some people feel lousy though.
      I think ‘weight loss’ and ‘feel good’ diets are totally separate things. You might want to research the nutrition related to what specific traits you want. Anti depressive, energising…what exactly would make you ‘feel good’? There are lots of hidden goodies in certain types of food and I think different individuals need some trial and error.

      1. Nervous Accountant*

        Oh that’s an excellent point too thank u!

        Dr/nutritionists have recommended low carb and low fat. I put “low carb” in quotes b/c according to my macro calcuatlion I can take 80g of carbs a day and lose, which I know is relatively high. I’ve been reading up more and more on keto for about a year now but just can’t bring myself to cut to 20g carbs a day just yet

        1. Batgirl*

          Nah, I think its a false economy to go lower than your need and never go against your food instincts.
          Sometimes it’s a question of time but it’s always worth asking yourself how you feel after this meal or that meal. Dabble with different high quality fats, or different ratios of food groups within your macros for lunch and see how your afternoon goes. I personally am cranky and unfocused if the nutrition level isn’t right.

          1. Nervous Accountant*

            Oo so when you do keto style diet, do you count your macros? From my understanding, low carb is taking much smaller portions of bread/pasta/etc, whereas keto strictly prohibits that stuff along with limiting veggies and fruits.

            1. Batgirl*

              Yeah because you still need fats and protein no matter what, just different proportions . If you’re changing into fat burning, over carb burning especially (I don’t know if you are) then fat is your new fuel source.

    3. Not So NewReader*

      I had lots of stuff going on with my health when I dropped carbs. I don’t think I ever felt “better”. I think part of the reason was that life was just very demanding. I was barely keeping up. So I did not get drowsy at annoying times but I was still tired because of life demands. I no longer worried about falling asleep behind the wheel, that was good, but I was wanting so much more that I did not fully appreciate the gains I had made.
      I went a bit and I could actually see I was putting on muscle. I had to remind myself that I could now lift this or that and not keel over from weakness/fatigue.

      So there’s two things that I picked up on:
      1) I was doing too much even for a healthy person.
      2) I was so used to my old body that I had to learn to try to do things that used to be hard. I had to retrain my brain.

      We can lose weight but we still have the weight of our life problems bearing down on us. We can gain muscle and fail to use it because we keep thinking of our old bodies, not the new body we now have.

      1. Nervous Accountant*

        Do you mean you had health issues before or after dropping carbs? I’m trying to cut them due to teh diabetes. Also been reading up on fasting, bought the book a year ago but have yet to finish it :( I think that’s what I’m looking for too…just feeling less crappy. Maybe its also cz I’m working long af hours that I don’t feel like myself.

        1. Not So NewReader*

          Yes, sorry that was not clear. I had quality of life health issues that I could not shake off. I got interested in cleaning up my diet, taking nutrition and eventually switched the cleaners in my house. I had some gains but not what I expected. Finally my practitioner had me do a low carb diet. Changes did start happening, I finished up losing the excess weight that I had been working on almost 20 years. The ear infections, vertigo, panic attacks all lessened. I put on muscle. I could really see it on my upper arms as I had to lift things all day long.
          I was still tired. And emotionally I felt pretty beat up. I did not feel better. I did look better (healthier, clearer skin, my hair stopped looking life-less.)and others agreed. I had to make life changes along with the diet changes in order to regain my health. I probably have not had a full blown panic attack in 15 years, I have had an ear infection once in the same time. I finally shook off the most of the vertigo when I quit eating gluten.

          For life things: I lessened how much I volunteered for at work. I thinned out my house so it was less labor intensive. I stopped taking on new crafts/projects and stopped bringing them into the house. I also drew my boundary lines with family. I spent more time teaching myself things I wanted to learn, such as how to handle a problem at work. Or how to repair a small item at home.
          And that is when “it” happened. I started liking me better. Part of my problem was I gave a way so much of myself that there wasn’t much of me left. Then this started to erode my health. The expression “put your own oxygen mask on first” is a wild understatement in my mind. We are our own front lines. No one is going to take care of me like I do, likewise for you, no one will take care of you like you do. Invest in changes in all aspects of your life- these would be carefully chosen, well-thought out changes. Go one change at a time so you can see how that change is working or not. Then move to the next change.

          I foolishly believed that regaining my health and physical strength was just a problem to be solved by diet/exercise and so on. I now realize that our circumstances can wear us down and if that is the case then no amount of health care is going to change that UNTIL we change our circumstances.

    4. The Cosmic Avenger*

      For me, I felt better when I felt like I could move more quickly and had better balance, and that probably came after losing about 15-20% of my body weight. The energy and mood sounds more like just feeling good about yourself, honestly, more than a physical thing, so it’s probably not based on actual weight loss. Right now I’m down almost 30% from 2008, and pretty close to where I should be.

    5. Weegie*

      I went low carb, high fat, high protein a couple of years ago (to avoid the Type II diabetes that plagues my family, and also because I kept gaining & never losing weight no matter how much exercise I did). I felt better as soon as I lost 2lbs and kept it off! My weight loss was much slower than yours – usually 2lbs every 2-3 weeks – but what made me feel good was simply knowing I’d successfully shed another 2 lbs, rather than any change in physical symptoms. It took the best part of a year for me to reach what is probably my natural weight, and I still feel happy about being able to maintain that.

      What was noticeable, though, as I lost the weight was an almost instant improvement in dental health. My dentist continues to be pleased with me – another thing that makes me feel good :-)

        1. Not So NewReader*

          Oh my yes. My current dentist says my years of poor nutrition still show in my teeth. But he says, it also shows in my teeth that I changed what I was doing at some point.

    6. Lepidoptera*

      When I started limited sugar/simple carbs and increasing protein, it took about 8-10 weeks to make a noticeable difference in my energy and mood. The biggest change for me was that my energy cycle was no longer a high-low roller coaster; fueling with protein keeps me in a more steady state. I think it’s harder to actively notice “I generally feel okay now” versus “I felt terrible and now I feel awesome”.

      1. Nervous Accountant*

        See this is the amazing thing about dieting and stuff. Right in this thread, some felt instant changes and some took longer. Thank you for sharing this, I feel so much better knowing better is yet to come.

      2. Not So NewReader*

        Getting that yo-yoing under control is super important. When a person stops having really bad days, their quality of life goes up because they are participating in life on a more regular basis.

    7. Lucette Kensack*

      IDK, but not yet!

      I’ve lost around 50 pounds in the last 18 months and to be honest I’m not sure I notice a difference (in feeling or appearance). I’ve changed one dress size, so that’s tangible, but I don’t have more energy or focus and I don’t think I look meaningfully different.

    8. Gala*

      I don’t want to be a downer but… never! To be fair I wasn’t eating an enormous amount of junk food and wasn’t overweight, just on the high BMI side, and didn’t have health issues, I just upped my vegetable and fruit consumption. I actually felt worse when I was doing calorie counting (don’t ignore your hunger if you don’t have other issues people). I just get slightly jealous of the new dieters/vegetarians/vegans who feel AMAZING after 2 days of their new lifestyle, though placebo effect might play a part. (And good for them if they feel good)

  59. Karen from Finance*

    RuPaul’s Drag Race thread!

    Let’s talk up to RPDR Season 11 – Monster Ball.

    Original Karen From Finance, I summon thee.

    1. BRR*

      I loved Nina West’s witch look. The flames felt a bit cheap but the concept was so smart and creative. Disappointed with Yvie. This should have been her challenge. Brooklyn continues to just nail everything.

      1. Karen from Finance*

        Yes, I loved Nina. She has some great concepts, even if the execution is not always as 100% polished as it could.

        And same about Yvie. I liked the Trex thing but she got too much in her head. She’s still my favorite of the season overall I think.

    2. Middle School Teacher*

      I really like Nina too, and I agree about Brook Lynne. She’s so fabulous (and I’m biased because I’m Canadian but I really do love her). I’m finding the challenges a bit dull but the runways are pretty good. I have high hopes for snatch game, though!

    3. AdAgencyChick*

      Am I the only one who thought Brooke Lynn was overpraised in that episode? Not that she had any bad looks on the runway, but her final look didn’t say monster to me at all. Glamorous black widow, yes, but I don’t think she got the freak-flag part of the challenge.

      Which is not to say that I don’t like her a lot otherwise, but I am Team Yvie Oddly all the way. I was really disappointed when her fringe runway look didn’t get discussed at all because there were so many queens on the runway that everyone who was safe was also not talked about at all. Yvie always brings something crazy and thoughtful to the runway and I love her for it.

      1. Karen from Finance*

        When I saw her mummified, I was expecting that to be her monster look, and I think it would have made a lot more sense there. I didn’t get “slutty trick or treater” from the mummy look at all, but it would’ve totally worked for a monster look .. and then “black widow” doesn’t come across as monster.
        But then again, I had this type of confusion with several of the queens where I think maybe the task wasn’t clear? And this is also why I think they were unfair to Ariel, sure a mermaid isn’t a monster but neither were many of the looks in the third runway.

        I’m expecting Scarlet to be bitter-er next episode about having been one of the few queens who actually did a monster and went unrecognized. She’s not wrong, but she needs to dial the drama down.

        1. The Original Karen from Finance*

          I got the slutty vibe from the mummy look because she was wrapped sparingly. But I can see how that would’ve been better suited for the monster look. I thought she was going to criticized for her MILF look. While I loved it, there was no monster element IMO. She had that snake and I thought she was going to go the Medusa route.

          I liked Scarlet’s MILF look. That one stood out as well and I was surprised at the judges’ critiques.

          I feel Ariel could have done so much more with the mermaid. I knew they were going to ding her for it. But I thought her first two looks would have saved her over Silky.

    4. The Original Karen from Finance*

      I’m here!!!!! Hello, hello, helloooooooo!!!

      OMG what did you think of Brooke’s runway look? Coming down the runway in pointe shows I MEAN COME ON!!!!!!! She was the standout for me. I loved all three of her looks.

      I loved Yvie’s looks except the voodoo doll. I feel she could have done so much more.

      Based upon the lip sync I didn’t think that person should have gone home, but I was happy with Mama Ru’s decision.

      Ok, let me catch up on the other responses and comment.

      1. Karen from Finance*

        Yeah I’m pissed at the decision regarding the lipsync. I understand that there was a fall involved, and that the queen that went home was weaker overall, but she did a way better lipsync performance.

        1. The Original Karen from Finance*

          Yes she did! It looked like Shuga didn’t even really know the word :(

  60. Persephone Mulberry*

    Weight loss surgery: how do I figure out if it’s right for me? What are the considerations, the caveats, the lifestyle changes? What kind of a doctor do I talk to? How much does it cost/are there ways to get it covered by insurance? Point me towards WLS for Dummies, please.

    I had never really considered it until a friend who is (was) similar to me in weight/size had it done and I see her maintaining successfully, but we are not quite “can I pick your brain on this very personal topic” friends, so instead I turn to you, my semi-anonymous internet family.

    1. Kuododi*

      I attempted to do Gastric Bypass surgery approximately 10-15yrs ago. (In my case it was unsuccessful however it wasn’t a reflection on the procedure, or the surgeon. I had medical complications which no one could have predicted.)

      I started with my primary care doctor who initiated the referral to the Gastric surgeon. The primary care office also took care of insurance authorization. At that time, my insurance required me to lose a certain amount of weight in advance of approval for the surgery. To support that, I was sent to a dietician, exercise physiologist and was monitored by the MD during the pre op process. Additionally I was required to have an evaluation by a mental health specialist dealing with eating/food issues. I hope that helps with some of your questions. Let me know if I can help clarify any other issues.

    2. Dino*

      One thing that I wish my mom had known before getting gastric bypass was the stats on alcoholism. Basically, people become much much more susceptible to alcoholism after getting WLS because it messed with how your body processes alcohol. My mom never had addiction problems before the surgery but is now an alcoholic (to the point that I had to cut contact with her). If you ever want to have a beer or glass of wine after work, talk to your doctor and other WLS patients. People don’t always proactively bring up the risks.

      1. M*

        The other explanation that the literature supports for the increase in alcoholism post weight-reduction surgery is lack of sufficient mental health support. Many doctors ‘require’ patients to continue seeing the mental health specialist (as Kuododi mentioned) after surgery but there is often no real accountability there. Research shows that many, many people who look for weight loss surgery were people who used food as a coping mechanism and when that mechanism is removed because of the surgery, people frequently turn to other self-medication options like alcohol. Add this to the physiological changes Dino mentioned and there is an increase in risk for alcoholism, drug use, and suicide. It’s not the surgery itself causing this, of course, and every person is different and of course many people will be perfectly healthy after surgery — but there is a strong enough indication in the research to suggest that mental health support after surgery is important for many. Perhaps not a helpful answer to Persephone Mulberry’s question but I find that the social stigma around weight incredibly frustrating. If I had the ability, I would make every person in the world have training on trauma and its long-term effects. We would think so differently about alcoholism and addiction, type 2 diabetes, obesity, just to name a few.

    3. Kuododi*

      At the end of the day, it will be critical to keep in mind that weight loss surgery is an excellent resource but it is not a *magic bullet.* You as the patient, will have to make the appropriate changes in habits/lifestyle or the surgery will have been a very expensive exercise in futility. Best wishes….!

      1. The Other Dawn*

        Yes to this! I had gastric bypass over five years ago. So many people think it’s the “easy way out”, a magic bullet, whatever else you want to call it. It’s a tool, pure and simple. And just like any tool, what you put into it is what you get out of it.

    4. The Other Dawn*

      I am going to post a link to a blog post I made when I hit the five-year post-op mark. In that post, I have lots of links to my other posts that talk about pre-op, post-op, the skin removal surgery, things I wish I knew, etc. It’s going to go to moderation so I’ll post it separately from this.

          1. The Other Dawn*

            You’re welcome!

            I think the takeaways for me are: this is for life and not a magic bullet, it is NOT the easy way out (it’s usually the last ditch effort for most of us), there’s definitely some wiggle room (you’re not doomed to tasteless food for the rest of your life), the mental part is VERY HARD for most people, physical issues are a total crap shoot, and it may or may not make you an exercise nut.

            If you haven’t read yet, definitely spend some time on the “things I wish I knew” posts. There’s a lot people don’t tell you when you’re going through the pre-op process. It’s all “this is wonderful!” “I exercise ALL THE TIME!” “I NEVER eat X because it’s poison to us now!”

            Also, don’t let other people’s judgment bother you. People may not judge you, but there are definitely some people who will–strangers, coworkers, friends, family–because they think you’re just taking the easy way out and don’t want to do the work. It comes from ignorance most of the time, sometimes people are jealous or just plain old jerks. For me personally, I don’t give a crap who knows I had the surgery. I tell everyone, but I’m pretty much an open book anyway. I’m proud that I had the courage to make this decision for myself, go through with it, and keep all but 20 pounds off over five years. Besides, it’s not on me, and it’s too exhausting, to manage other people’s feelings.

            Good luck!!

  61. Karen from Finance*

    Yes, I loved Nina. She has some great concepts, even if the execution is not always as 100% polished as it could.

    And same about Yvie. I liked the Trex thing but she got too much in her head. She’s still my favorite of the season overall I think.

  62. Myrin*

    Medical talk ahead in case anyone wants to skip this.

    So, the gallbladder will be leaving the body next Thursday!

    The surgery was originally planned for the 23rd but the assistant physician (who will be present but not actually doing the procedure) I saw two days ago at the hospital was adamant that the date be moved forward; there’s nothing about my case which makes this absolutely necessary but he said if we can do it earlier than in three weeks’ time, why shouldn’t we? And I absolutely agree with that, I want the thing gone!

    It’s stones and a hydrops but while neither are urgent and my symptoms are mostly just uncomfortable but not hugely painful or prolongued, I could really do without the daily flatulence and the weird bulbous piece of… well, body I have next to my belly button. And of course there’s still the fear of the stones suddenly deciding they want to move elsewhere and I really don’t want to risk that.

    At the moment, I don’t feel any particular way about it – I’m not the kind to me afraid of things like this but I’m not giddy with excitement, either – other than “ugh, hospital” and “yay, normal-feeling body!”.

    1. The Gollux (Not a Mere Device)*

      I had my gall bladder out about a decade ago. Keyhole (laparoscopic) surgery is a wonderful thing.

      When I was leaving the hospital, the discharge nurse told me I needed to be on a very low-fat diet (like, skim milk instead of regular or 2% in my tea) but when I talked to the surgeon he said she was overdoing it. She probably told all the patients she was sending home that, regardless of why they’d been hospitalized or anything else about their health. Yes, dietary fat can be an issue after gall-bladder surgery, but it isn’t always–it’s something like 50-50 whether you’ll have to be careful there. (I was living mostly off stored body fat for the first week or so post-surgery anyhow, because I had very appetite.)

      1. Myrin*

        Yeah, gallbladder removal is a bit of a thing in my family and all of them can basically eat like they did before, but less (with very fatty food only occasionally – my mum can eat fried stuff just fine but she only has one meal like that every other month or so). I’m cautiously assuming that it might be the same for me – which I low-key hate because I’m a glutton who loves food and can usually eat more than any given person eating with me – but of course I can’t bank on that. I’m interested to see how my body will react to certain kinds of food afterwards!

        1. The Other Dawn*

          For me I had to be very careful with milk right after surgery. After a couple weeks, I was pretty much back to normal. It’s been over five years now and there aren’t any foods that bother me.

        2. Willow*

          Get some chewable papaya enzyme tablets and chew a few after a large meal, or a particularly fatty one (burgwer/fries/shake), they help start the digestion and keep the huge flow of bile acid in check.

    2. Elizabeth West*

      I didn’t have any problem with milk like others have said, but I have to be careful of super greasy food. Also, a later endoscopy revealed that I have a hiatal hernia and can’t deal with super spicy stuff, or overeat. And I sometimes get esophageal spasms. Those suck; it feels like angina but if I drink icy water, it stops pretty quickly.

      I recovered fairly quickly from the gallbladder surgery. My one piece of advice would be to take your pain medications as prescribed–this is major surgery, and it WILL hurt. They have to dig around under your liver to get that little bugger out! Good pain control will help you recover faster. I tried to ditch the hydrocodone too fast because I hated the side effects and regretted it.

  63. overcaffeinatedandqueer*

    I just found out the childhood language immersion camp for German I went to as a kid does camp weeks FOR ADULTS TOO!

    It’s almost $1000 so I am going to have to save for a long time and give up a lot, but, with a sort of tiger mom and few friends as a kid, it was the one place young me was truly happy.

    I mean, I could make mistakes, no one made fun of me for being smart or nerdy since we all were, and I could speak freely and run around screaming through the forest all I liked, as long as I did it in German!

    1. Seeking Second Childhood*

      Oh I want that for French. What country is it in if you don’t mind me asking?

        1. Rainy*

          One of my clients went to those as a child and then became a guide as a young adult and has absolutely nothing but rave reviews from both sides.

        2. Seeking Second Childhood*

          Minnesota’s a long way from New England… but worth looking at for some year!

  64. IDontKnow*

    So, going on a different handle for this, as it’s sort of TMI.

    How do you refuse sex or intimacy without hurting feelings or causing resentment especially with a long term partner?

    I have literally zero experience with this. I was sexually assaulted as a kid and didn’t feel I could say no, and since then, I have not done so or felt like I had to or could. I had some awkward fumbles with guys before coming out as queer, but they were respectful of me and never made me do things.

    Then I married my first love. Due to health and trauma issues for her, we don’t have intimacy often enough, so I feel like I have to have it whenever we do. Like if you were on a diet and someone offers you cake- you may not want cake right then but you’ll eat it anyway because you won’t get it again. So I have never turned anybody down and don’t have the education on how to do so.

    What do you all do?

    1. Batgirl*

      None of us want lukewarm acceptance from a distracted partner. In a way, we all want occasional rejection so we can enjoy the genuine article.
      So your first step might be thinking about what kind of rejection you’d most like to hear. Mine is something like hearing a preference for affection, or possibly an alternative time that works better so I can look forward to it. I also let prospective sexual partners know that plain old no is cool beans for me.

      From there it’s natural conversation progression to ask what they’d like to hear from you when you’re not in the mood. It’s also a good time to talk about each other’s bedroom do’s and don’ts.

      Also a great way to weed out any jerks who don’t believe in enthusiastic consent.

      1. valentine*

        How do you refuse sex or intimacy without hurting feelings or causing resentment especially with a long term partner?
        The goal is for everyone to feel safe and good about the experience. Your well-being matters more than the other person’s feelings and resentment is a red flag. They can be disappointment, but everything in life waxes and wanes, so they should not sulk or punish you.

        Like if you were on a diet and someone offers you cake- you may not want cake right then but you’ll eat it anyway because you won’t get it again.
        No.

        Scarleteen should have great stuff on this.

    2. Myrin*

      Open and honest communication is certainly the way to go. I’d suggest broaching the topic at a neutral time and place, like after a meal or when you’re just hanging out together so that you’re a bit distanced from any acts of intimacy in that moment.

    3. Rainy*

      Honestly, my husband and I just say “not tonight” or “not now”, and it’s fine. We’ve talked about it before though–we both have reasonably high libidos all else being equal, but my job is pretty exhausting for long periods of time and his old one (he just changed jobs!) was stressful, underpaid, and annoying because of how pointless he felt it was, and those are libido killers for us.

      I think this is the first relationship where I really have felt comfortable saying “not tonight, sorry” and being able to be confident that it really is okay. My first husband would whine and carry on if I turned him down, but act like I was a raving Maenad when he turned me down, so I developed a bit of a twitch about these things. Sometimes it just takes Using Your Words together long enough for you both to feel comfortable and secure.

    4. Penguin*

      The hard truth is that doing ANYthing “without hurting someone’s feelings” is next to impossible when two people have strong, differing opinions/thoughts/wants/needs on something. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it.

      What you CAN aim for is being kind, compassionate, and thoughtful when erecting and enforcing a boundary. Captain Awkward (.com) has a LOT of scripts for this sort of thing, both around sex and intimacy and around other issues. Maybe give her blog a look?

    5. The Gollux (Not a Mere Device)*

      In addition to discussing the issue at a neutral time, meaning when you’re both awake and neither of you has just proposed having sex, it helps to remember that sex is one kind of intimacy, not the only thing. I’d rather have my partner say “I’m not up for sex tonight, how about if I read to you?” or “I’d like you to just hold me for a bit” than a simple “no.”

    6. traffic_spiral*

      Other than the things others have said, maybe cuddle and hug a bit after you say you don’t want to have sex?

    7. Wow so anon for this*

      I do feel apologetic sometimes when I’m not in the mood, but my husband has always been adamant that sex is no fun if we’re not BOTH in the mood and is frankly baffled by the idea that someone would be offended or resentful at a partner saying no.

      Mostly I just say, “Hey, I’m so exhausted today/really not in the mood/just feeling super unsexy, but can we rain check for tomorrow/Tuesday/whenever?” For my relationship, “no” always just means “not now, but later.” A long-term pattern of refusal can, over time, create resentment, especially in the absence of communication — like if you just started saying no without taking with her about why, or making any effort to address the underlying issues — but just saying no once should absolutely not cause resentment.

      But I really do hope you are getting some help from a good therapist, because all of this becomes so much more difficult when you add trauma AND health issues into the mix! And also strongly recommending the excellent book Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski. It’s very queer-inclusive.

    8. Lilysparrow*

      We’ve been married 15 years, have kids, & have each developed health/pain issues that have to be negotiated around, so sometimes we
      just aren’t in sync.

      Personally, I do tend to go for it when we both can these days – even if I’m not totally feeling it. Because I miss the days when it was easy. And because it’s a good part of “routine maintenance” for our communication and connection. But I don’t have your history, so I never had a problem saying no either.

      I say “I’m sorry, I’m not feeling it right now, but I’m up for a cuddle.”

      Or “I’m just not up for it, honey.”

      And there were times in those 15 years when I just didn’t want to deal, so I’d sneak off to bed early. Life is long and has many seasons.

    9. Penelope Garcia’s glasses*

      I can relate to this including the reason why you struggle with saying no.

      Talk to your partner, and try to get in the habit of not including an apology. It’s completely ok not to feel like it.

    10. Anon for sake of partner*

      I’m in a similar boat. Haven’t had sex for the last 3 or so years. Love my partner very much, but there are medical related reasons.

      Obviously you have every right to abstain, but I think partner’s reaction will depend on your views on their own behaviour.

      For example, I don’t like to think of my partner masturbating. I know this is silly, but I feel like they will imagine a cute person from work, or similar will pop into their head even if they don’t wish it. But I’ve learnt that it isn’t fair to try to ban them, just because YOU are abstaining. And if they do abstain they will probably get wet dreams anyway, and I’ve learnt I can hardly blame them for that! but I still find it hard to process… all of this is my own issue of course.

      So I would just say, talk! And keep talking!

      Also you have said you don’t feel comfortable with intimacy, not just sex per se. Are you willing to do anything to pleasure your partner? This is a rhetorical question, I don’t want to know whether you won’t touch their genitals but don’t mind if they rub against you! But it is something to consider. If you are able to concede in any way without hating or resenting it, so your partner can get some pleasure or intimacy, it would be very kind of you. But if you can’t, then you can’t of course.

      And then… talk some more. My own main difficulty is that my partner finds it very hard to discuss these kinds of things – understandable, they have always been very private and for example their past is never discussed, even anecdotes about holidays or whatever – and they are very kind and respectful of my limitations, but then I do feel like a “bad” partner for not “indulging” them – that wasn’t the deal when we got together two decades ago, after all.

      But life and relationships evolve organically, don’t they? So this is the situation now. And my partner is brilliant in how they love and respect my needs. But I wish I knew how they truly felt or if there were any compromises or allowances I could make, that might be workable.

      So… talk! As long as the communication flows openly and honestly, I think you’re further en route than you expect.

      [Sorry that so much of this comment was about me, but I hope it was helpful in the process. With all good wishes for future.]

  65. No Name For This*

    Is there anyone else who reads AAM and isn’t employed/doesn’t intend to be employed (retired, SAHP, etc)? I read it because (in no particular order), it’s entertaining, good conversation topics, helps me to learn better how/when to use my words, educates me (so much this) on current vocabulary/topics/issues of the day (e.g. the discussion about LGBTQ+).

    1. Overeducated*

      Not quite the same, but I got into it for the job advice, am now securely employed and in less dire need of it, and stayed regular in large part for the comments as well as the letters. The fact that it’s one of the few civil and still anonymous places online makes it special.

    2. Oldster*

      Yes. I like to read and learn and occasionally I can pass things on to my kids. Been reading for a few years.

    3. WellRed*

      Not what youre asking but I like parenting advice columns and have on kids. Nor do I plan too.

    4. LNLN*

      I started reading AAM a year before I retired. I’ve been retired for nine months and still enjoy reading it. I live a remarkably drama-free life and enjoy the second-hand drama.

    5. Flash Bristow*

      Meeeee! Used to work, then ran my own business, but now disability means I can’t make plans as I end up letting people down so – other than appearances on the BBC and such, now and then – I can’t work any more.

      I still very much enjoy this site for its insight and interesting stories… better than reddit in that there aren’t any children here.

      Other sites I enjoy are the ones which produce regular reports, such as Ofcom, or Rail Accident Investigation Board. Lots to read!

      Without wishing to brown nose, thanks Alison for this site.

    6. Luisa in Dallas*

      I retired 20 years ago, but I read Ask a Manager every day – for the same reasons as No Name For This. And, my significant other is still employed, so he gets the benefit of “my” advice (but I do give Alison credit!).

    7. Mephyle*

      Me too. I was a SAHM from the time my kids were born (now gone from the nest) and I never returned to the work world. The only work thing I do is freelancing from home, not full time. My motives for reading AAM are just like yours.

  66. Mimmy*

    I’m starting to struggle with keeping on top of projects and tasks. I get caught up in one or two projects (say, reading grant proposals for a volunteer gig, getting ready for certification exam) and other little things, like setting doctor appointments or cleaning up my desk fall by the wayside. Yes I know lists and reminders are helpful, but for some reason, I don’t respond well to those.

    Part of my current problem is that I procrastinated on reading these proposals to the last minute, so on top of work and other obligations, I am cramming. I have 3 grants to read by Tuesday morning, and I have a baby shower tomorrow that, with travel, will kill a good chunk of my day.

    Any suggestions??

    1. Not So NewReader*

      I like to do some of the shorter tasks before starting a task that will eat my day. So for example, I’d call the doc as I waited on hold (because I know I will end up on hold), I’d sort a little bit of my desk. Then maybe the next day my top priority would be finish sorting my desk before starting my main task. This gives me piles of things that are related to each other and I can work on each thing separately.

      I think it’s a good idea to assign time estimates to each longer task, because things always take longer than we expect. Then add 20%. An hour estimate becomes almost 1 hour and 15 minutes. That is the time to allot to that task. Take a look at what these estimates add up to, it could simply be that you are taking on too much.

      For smaller tasks, I don’t do well with lists at all. I have landed on putting the item in a certain area. For example, I broke a small decoration the other day. I set it on my place mat to remind myself to glue it. The previous day I had a pair of jeans with a broken zipper draped across the back of the chair by that same place mat. Because I put the item in my own way, I tend to be motivated to fix it and put it away properly.

      Each day I do pick one or two things and decide TODAY is THE day this will be done.

    3. Aerin*

      Sometimes it’s just a matter of finding the right lists and reminders. I’m fond of Habitica because I’m nerdy, and because having generic habits is sometimes easier than trying to list out specific things I have to do, which can get overwhelming and spiral into me listing out everything I’ve ever thought of doing. Ditto above that it’s really easy to give yourself 36 hours of stuff to do when you’ve got 10 hours to do it, so you’re gonna feel like a failure no matter how much you get through. Being realistic about how much I can accomplish helps.

      The other thing I find with the long term regular tasks (like tidying the office or sorting through the boxes in the garage) is that there’s no possible way I can do them all at once, but if I allocate time in my day to tackle *something* that falls into that category, even if it’s only 20 minutes or so, progress will get made. Sometimes I can’t force myself to focus on a specific task, but I can handle something similar that’s equally useful.

  67. KR*

    If you have Netflix I highly recommend Shirkers.
    Got a root canal and a temp crown. The temp crown is on very securely (which I am grateful for) and if I bite down in one way it fits fine but if I bite down another way it hits wierd. It either hits against my other teeth or my gums because something really hurts if I bite down the wrong way. This is just my teeth not any food – I’m not chewing on that side while I wait for the permanent crown. I have no feeling left in the tooth and I know that as the novacaine was wearing off and I couldn’t feel it at all when they were prepping my tooth for the temp crown. I have pretty bad TMJ and this is just aggravating it because I have to bite a certain way and baby that side of my mouth. UGH just complaining

  68. EEEA*

    I was about 15, and just on the way to the shops.

    I was at a road junction, and it was clear, but then this woman came and tried to go without stopping. She grazed my knee – and I was irate. who the fuck did she think she was?

    She stopped after a few moments, but there was no reason why. I followed her up until 100 yards and then slapped her. I said, “what the fuck are you doing?!” She just looked blank and then drove off. So who the fuck taught her to drive? Dude, i drive, i’d never do that!

    Why did she take her time to just drive into somebody for no reason and then not give a fuck? I’m sure wherever she is now, she’s “happy”, since apparently, we can do what we want to each other for no reason. That’s ghetto conduct, not normalcy.

    tell me where this is acceptable? I don’t anybody could in a million years.

    1. Thursday Next*

      This is pretty terrible. While I’d shy away from calling it “ghetto conduct,” I agree that it’s callous and self-centered and anti-social. I have no idea how someone could think it acceptable to hit a pedestrian or biker with a two-ton machine and not stop.

    2. Foreign Octopus*

      She was definitely in the wrong to hit you with the car and not stop but I don’t think slapping her was the right course of action either. I think a “what the fuck was that? Who taught you to drive?” is acceptable but the slapping isn’t great.

      Also, I second Thursday Next, calling it ghetto conduct is not cool.

      Shit conduct, lack of complete common sense and basic manners conduct, but not ghetto.

    3. WellRed*

      She was ridiculous but she didn’t drive into you in purpose. She absolutely should have stopped. Frankly, I think slapping her was just as bad on your part.

      1. valentine*

        She was ridiculous but she didn’t drive into you in purpose.
        You don’t know this. Some people like to see how much they can get away with, and they tend to be people who see fines as activity fees.

        I think slapping her was just as bad on your part.
        Slapping, especially if it was a single, is nowhere near the level of vehicular assault and reckless endangerment. I really hate “just as bad” dismissals. The person won’t otherwise pay for this.

    4. Book Lover*

      I suspect if there had been police around, she would have gotten a ticket and you would have been arrested for assault. I am not sure why you posted this (a response to something with a nesting fail?) or what response you are looking for?

        1. ThatGirl*

          You don’t, but I’m pretty confused as to your point too, it seems like a very out of nowhere grudge you’ve been holding on to for years.

            1. Ask a Manager* Post author

              I’m not sure what it’s telling of, but you cannot be hostile to people here, and that’s why I removed your comment below.

              The comments you’re responding to here are people confused about the context for your initial comment, not telling you that you can’t post.

              1. EEEA*

                Because of them are questioning my right to use this board.
                It’s all about their bullying which really makes me laugh.

          1. EEEA*

            no but you were being pretty passive aggressive. it’s a free forum so people as they wish.

    5. Llama Face!*

      Wow, hitting a pedestrian and not apologizing or making sure they’re okay is a really crappy thing to do. But, if it helps you not get stuck with bad feelings about this (since it seems like it was when you were younger?), mebbe consider that she may have had something major going on. I mean that grazing you, stopping for no apparent reason, and then totally not reacting to even being slapped is not a usual response, right? Most people would react in some way- whether bad or good. So perhaps she just had horrible news or was in shock or having a medical problem or something?

      Obviously you don’t *have* to give her the benefit of the doubt but it might help for your own peace of mind.

      (By the way, if you aren’t sure why people have suggested you avoid the “ghetto conduct” term it’s because that is a very racialized description. Ghetto tends to be used in the U.S. as an insult towards black people who live in poor neighbourhoods. Or in my part of the continent, to talk trash about urban First Nations people.)

  69. EEEA*

    This isn’t a question but more of a statement.
    I’m loving Netflix at the moment – I love Star Trek Discovery. Pound for pound it’s arguably the best Trek ever at this point.

    1. Batgirl*

      My goodness yes. I love Michael Burnham and the dynamic between her and Spock is fantastic.
      Tilly makes me very happy because I legit have never seen anyone with my hair type on television before who wasn’t drawn by Disney.
      I also really love the Discovery uniforms but apparently they’re going over to original uniforms soon? It’s going to be odd, possibly really cool to see the sixties minidress come back, I haven’t decided which yet!

    2. Anonymous Educator*

      I wish we had Star Trek: Discovery on Netflix in the U.S. Here you have to subscribe to CBS All Access to get Discovery.

      1. noahwynn*

        Yup, with the streaming services all starting to fracture, it makes me consider going back to not quite legal ways to see what I want. I already pay for Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. I paid for HBO to see Game of Thrones during the months it is on. I don’t want to pay for every service our there though, it’s getting to be too much.

        1. Anonymous Educator*

          Apple’s starting up their own service. And Disney may soon, too. It is starting to get ridiculous.

        2. Scarlet Magnolias*

          Yes my husband and I are parasites on our Millenial son’s HBO for Game of Thrones. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around!

        3. BelleMorte*

          I was reading an article the other day that before everyone and their brother started a streaming service tv/movie piracy was at an all time low. Now that there are so many options for streaming and content is becoming fragmented (i.e. disney and CW pulling off netflix and getting their own services) everyone wants their $10/mo piracy is going right back up to pre-netflix levels again.

    3. Foreign Octopus*

      I am loving Captain Pike!! He’s such a good captain and he’s really brought a good vibe to the show. Also, Saru is brilliant. I’m sad that Pike won’t be sticking around (although I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a Pike standalone that would take him up to the Kirk era and TOS) but I hope Saru becomes captain next season.

  70. Anonymouse2 for this*

    So my MRI came back with obvious bilateral sacral swelling meaning I have arthroscopic spondylitis as part of my psoriatic arthritis. I am going to start biologics (probably Enbrel but maybe Stelara) in a couple of weeks after seeing a dermatologist to confirm my psoriasis plaques and a GI because apparently this condition is linked to inflammatory bowel disease. I am so overwhelmed right now and I feel really depressed. It’s hard to process all of this with two kids under four and my husband and me working full time. I feel like I am on a Merry go round and can’t get off.

    I am doing the thing we don’t talk about on weekends at home in prep for a big meeting on Monday and my husband took the kids out for a while to give me some space. I literally feel like I don’t have time to feel.

    I am 35 with what will be life long arthritis and potential degeneration of my joints. I really can’t deal. I appreciate everyone who helped me a few weeks ago by offering advice and their own stories. I am sort of lost here.

    1. Thursday Next*

      I am sorry about the struggles you’re going through right now. I can relate to that feeling of being overwhelmed, and of not having enough space to feel any feelings.

      FWIW I’ve heard really great things about biologics. I’m not on them at present, but it might be something I’ll consider. I don’t know how your condition has been manifesting, but for me I’ve had bad times and good times and it helps me to focus on the good times. I feel fortunate not to have any joint degeneration or organ issues yet (I’m 45 now) , though I’m aware that could happen.

      I’ve had a lot of practice at taking things as they come. I’m not great at it! But it helps me to take it a day or two, or a week, at a time.

      There was a thread here last week about supporting a friend with autoimmune illness, so I’d suggest looking at that and seeing if any of that would be helpful—are there tasks you can delegate? And I cannot recommend highly enough *letting some things slide*. Right now IDGAF about putting away the kids’ stuff, which has spread like algae everywhere. I’ve washed their clothes, but haven’t folded them or put them away; we can pull things out of the clean hamper as needed. And I haven’t been cooking, just relying on a mix of prepared foods, microwaveable foods, and delivery.

      Wishing you all the best.

      1. Anonymouse2 for this*

        Thank you so much for replying. I really appreciate it and honestly in the abstract I know there are a lot of people out there dealing with stuff like this, but hearing from you makes me feel a lot less alone.

        As it is, I do feel very blessed in some ways. First, I found out about this diagnosis after having two kids and didn’t have to make as many difficult choices as I might have (although I am ending breastfeeding my younger child a little earlier than I would have wanted to, he is 10 months so he will be ok–that’s been a harder thing for me to let go of). I also feel blessed that in the words of my doctor, I have one of the “better” autoimmune diseases meaning it’s highly unlikely that I am going to die from my disease (unlike something like lupus). I really do feel fortunate for those reasons, but I also feel really overwhelmed.

        My husband thinks that I will actually do better once I am on the meds and be able to enjoy my kids again and it will be nice to be able to hold a full cup of coffee without pain in my hands and wrists and not to have insomnia from back pain. However, I am also a bit scared by the drugs though especially having little kids and having to go to the hospital every time I have a fever, but it’s going to be what it is going to be.

        Thank you for the reminder to just let the little things slide. I tend to be a perfectionist about things, especially with the kids, and it’s nice to just know that my best is enough right now.

    2. Long-time psoriatic arthritis person*

      Wow, it’s rough with all of that going on at once. I responded to your original post, but I’ve had PA for about 30 years, and am now on my third biologic. They’ve been wonderful, overall, so other than the insurance hassle to get them approved sometimes (getting easier, though, I think) I’m so happy they exist because my first biologic – Enbrel – was the first thing that truly kept my arthritis in check. They do sometimes lose effectiveness, hence my changing a couple of times. The Enbrel lost effectiveness when trying to go back on it after a break, so switched to Humira. Humira was great in controlling my arthritis, but after two years or so I got a crazy psoriasis flare-up so have just switched to Otesla in the last month. I’ve been fortunate in never having significant side effects.

      Overall, for me, even as a life-long condition it’s been pretty easy to keep it controlled and it is not a big part of my day to day life at all. And on potential joint deterioration – this is where it’s so important to work with your rheumatologist to find the right regimen, and to speak up if things change. If you get on the right meds, it can hopefully stop any further damage. With me I have some permanent damage, mostly in my thumb/wrists/toes, but no new damage. But a couple of times something just didn’t feel right in a joint and an x-ray or ultrasound could tell if there was any further issue (which there wasn’t) or if it was just a random soreness.

      I think once you get things under control you’ll feel a lot more relaxed about this. Everyone’s experience is different but the newer meds recently do wonders compared to the older ones I used to take, so I’m sending positive thoughts your way that you get it under control and it’s just a mild annoyance versus the stress you have right now. Good luck!

      1. Anonymouse2 for this*

        Thank you so much for responding. I really appreciate hearing from you. I’m glad to hear Enbrel worked for you, even if it didn’t last. I am also glad to hear you are doing well managing after so much time with this. Do you like Otezla?

        1. Long-time psoriatic arthritis person*

          I was on the Enbrel for about 10 years, so it worked well for a long time and probably would have continued to do so if I hadn’t had to go off it for a couple of months when I moved and wasn’t able to get a new rheumatologist and problems with the new insurance. So far on the Otezla it’s keeping the arthritis pretty much at the status quo of where I was on the Humira, which is good. Still too early to tell if it’ll control the psoriasis outbreak, I’ve only been on it less than a month. I think it might be a little better, certainly not worse, but I think it’ll take a while to find out how well it controls the skin issues. Nice to have a pill versus injection – although they didn’t really bother me too much – I am having a bit of trouble getting in the habit with the p.m. dose because I’ve only had a.m. oral meds for so long, cell phone alarms are my friend for this. So fingers crossed it’ll be a good choice for me for a while to come. I hope that you’ll find one that works well for you soon as well, but at least for me biologics have been a game changer.

    3. fposte*

      Oh, that’s an ouch on several fronts.

      I have Crohn’s, Graves’, and spine problems, plus a couple other random items; the spine problems don’t seem to be autoimmune, necessarily, just some precocious degeneration and calcification. And in some way the Graves’ was the worst, psychologically, because it was the first one and it meant an unalterable change in my body that left me dependent on medication. I’d thought of physical health and strength and capability as something I would be always growing in, and here was demonstrable proof that that wasn’t true.

      But I also have to say overall I’ve had an okay life anyway, and I’m not sure I’d really have led the life it initially seemed like I was deprived of anyway. I get frustrated when there’s some new thing turning up, but now that I’m in my mid-fifties some of those things are blending with the effects of aging that a lot of people face. Which doesn’t make me happier about them, but I’m less specifically cursed and more just human, and I’m fortunate to still have plenty I can enjoy.

      1. Anonymouse2 for this*

        Thank you so much for your response. I really appreciate it. It is good to hear in some ways that maybe it is just the initial shock and soon it will be normal and I will probably feel less of this whatever it is that I am feeling (depression mixed with shock and sadness and being overwhelmed and also a little wallowing in self-pity).

        1. fposte*

          I’m definitely a sucker for the myth of stiff upper lip, powering through, etc. myself, so I understand the self-deprecation of “wallowing.” But I also think it’s misplaced self-deprecation–this is a hard change to how you view yourself, and you get to feel your feelings without it meaning you’re going to make a career of sobbing into a handkerchief through PTA meetings.

        2. Lilith*

          Where are your p plaques located? I’m the poster from last week who has a nephew with PA & he has plaques. He also had some issues with spondoylosis as a kid. Interesting.

  71. Almost Academic*

    Anyone have recommendations for a good Kosher for Passover wine? And/or a place to buy some in the DC-area?

    I’m attending my first Passover at my partner’s grandmother’s house, and I want to bring a bottle of wine. I’ve met his family before multiple times, but never his grandmother and never in a religious context. I’m not Jewish, but his family is fairly traditional. Anyone have suggestions that won’t seem out of place?

      1. AvonLady Barksdale*

        Agreed with this! Total Wine will almost certainly have something good. I’ve been saying for years that the Kosher for Passover wine market has improved substantially since I was a kid. A lot of South African and Chilean wineries make excellent K for P table wines. I tend to drink white wines most of the year but I’m partial to pinotage (a South African red varietal) during the holiday. We bought ours a couple of weeks ago because in our area, our favorite wine store only gets a few cases in and they always run out way too soon.

        Just make sure you’re buying specifically K for P wine and don’t buy Baron Herzog because it is terrible.

    2. Ann O.*

      Washington Post has recommendations for you: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/these-5-great-kosher-wines-are-perfect-for-your-passover-table-or-anytime/2018/03/16/36aa6d1a-288a-11e8-874b-d517e912f125_story.html

      (let me know if you’re paywall restricted and I can give you the brands)

      If the grandparents like stronger stuff and are Ashkenazim, slivovitz is traditional for Passover among Ashkenazim for some reason. The easiest to find slivovitz is horrible, but Total Wine carries a variety of kosher for Passover slivovitz brands.

    3. Bluebell*

      Kosher wine is almost always kosher for Passover as well. A few favorites of mine include Lanzur, which is Chilean, and Butchers Daughter Bordeaux, which had a gorgeous label. Altoona Hills is very decent, and Garden is also a good winery. Good luck!

    4. anonagain*

      Sorry if this is a stupid question, but did you ask your partner? I’m thinking he would know what his family likes.

    5. ShortT*

      I highly recommend Ramon Cordoba Rioja. It’s Kosher for Passover and absolutely delicious. I brought some to my Shabbat lunch hosts. They now want to buy a case for Passover.

      I’m in Boston, so, I don’t know where in DC to shop:/

      1. Bluebell*

        shortT- did you go to the Butcherie? If not, where? Would love to try a new selection. :)

    1. Not So NewReader*

      I pad my time estimates until I get used to how long everything takes. When I first moved out here, I had substantially lengthen my commute. It went from a 4 minute commute to a 30 minute commute, if the weather and traffic were good. If they weren’t good, it could be a 2 hour commute.
      Because everything was different, I would take the time to pick out my clothes and lunch before I went to bed. I lined up anything else I knew I would need.
      I had to reset my internal clock and get myself to bed earlier because of my longer and unpredictable commute.
      When winter came I lost even more time shoveling and digging out.

      On the other side of the coin, with time being at more of a premium, I looked for ways to save time. I picked up basics on my way home from work rather than making a special trip on the weekend like I used to do. I made meals for two days at a time instead of day-by-day, etc.

      The first week was the worst. I lived in fear of being late so I started way too early. The second week got better. It took a while to stick to my designated bedtime, though. I did just the basics around the house until I got more in the swing of my new timing.

  73. Raia*

    I’m trying to Konmari my old books. If I’m looking to sell my textbooks, what site should I use? The textbooks are from 2009-2015, so they may not all be sellable but surely they shouldnt all be donated or tossed.

    1. fposte*

      I see a site called Bookscouter that seems to get info from several different vendors, so that might be worth considering. But textbooks age fast and a lot of places won’t even accept them as donations (Bookscouter optimistically suggests donating them to the library, but it’s pretty common for libraries just to throw them out, since they take up a lot of space and are hard to resell). I would encourage you not to fall for the sunk cost fallacy–have a quick lookup and then toss the ones there’s no resale market for.

    3. The Person from the Resume*

      It would be a rare textbook from 4 years ago that’s worth reselling. The info doesn’t change but the schools stop using that version.

    4. AcademiaNut*

      In my experience the big general textbooks that have multiple editions are pretty useless after a few years. The schools will have moved on to a more recent edition, so used bookstores can’t sell them (they change the problem sets, so it’s hard to use an older version in class). More advanced textbooks have a longer life – some of the classic references in my field get new editions every couple of decades at best.

      In general public libraries won’t want them – there are just not enough people who will be interested in checking them out for two weeks at a time. So I agree with previous posters to check the books you’ve got and recycle the ones that aren’t worth selling.

    5. Aerin*

      Dealoz is the site I usually use for price comparison. It hits all the big sites so you can see if it’s going for anything. Amazon Marketplace is usually the big one for me but you might find others.

      You could also see if the art department at any nearby schools want them as raw material. You can do a lot with the pages of old books. Or if they’re not super out of date you might try a prison library? I’m not sure if they take donations at all (probably varies by location) but it might be worth contacting them to see.

    6. Rusty Shackelford*

      I know this is a late reply, but please don’t donate them. No one buys old textbooks (unless they’re the type you would have been able to sell yourself) and the recipients have to pay to have them hauled off.

  74. Too old to be questioning?*

    This is more of a topic to discuss with a therapist (and I have), but this week’s LGBTQ thread was motivating for me. As a 26-year-old woman, I’m still not sure where I stand regarding my sexuality. And a combination of depression and social anxiety has contributed to me just … not trying to figure it out.

    I’m pretty sure that I’m not straight. I never had crushes on boys when I was younger, and I’ve gone on a few dates with men and felt mostly discomfort. I’ve been more interested in women, but I don’t seem to have a high sex drive (obviously). I don’t know if I’m completely asexual/aromantic or if I would develop more of a drive through a romantic connection/more experience. And that’s a big question!

    I’m in a much better place now than I was in college (steady job, more comfortable in social situations, etc.). But I feel like I’m so far behind romantically/sexually that even if I did try to date, it wouldn’t be fair to the other person. How would I navigate sharing my lack of experience with potential partners? I know that some women realize that they’re lesbian later in life, but most of the stories I hear along those lines are from women who have extensively dated or married men.

    Does anyone have similar experience? Or advice on how I could try dating women without disappointing them?

    1. Rainy*

      There is such a thing as “demiromantic/demisexual” which I think is more about you experiencing responsive emotions/attraction than the active sort. If that’s the case, maybe you would develop more of a drive if you had someone you felt a connection with.

      You’re nowhere near too old/far behind/whatever :) I think in general as long as you’re up front with people about where you’re at, and everyone is acting in good faith, things will go pretty well.

    2. anonforthiscomment*

      I don’t have any advice, other than I can relate. I’m also a 26 year old woman, but while I know I’m attracted to men, I’m still unsure about how I feel about women (Am I bicurious? Am I bi? I don’t know!). I also feel I’m very far behind romantically, and I struggle on how to explore my sexuality without hurting other people.

      In your case, being honest about your lack of experience to dates is really the only way to do it. I don’t think you’d be hurting anyone by being honest that you don’t have a lot of relationship experience. I would think that most LGBTQ women would understand how difficult it is to explore your sexuality and would be able to relate to you.

      Sidenote: I’d also look up demisexuality & see if it could apply to you. Being demisexual basically means that you only feel sexual attraction to someone if have a strong emotional attachment to them.

    3. J*

      You’re not too old to start dating at all! A large component of dating is spending time with the other person, so if you’ve had friendships before, or if you’ve ever met a new person and asked them about themselves, you’ve had practice for going on dates.

    4. Parenthetically*

      I’m straight, so I don’t have advice on that front, but re: feeling like you’re too far behind romantically/sexually — my husband had, at 31 when we met, dated no one and had sex with no one. It just doesn’t matter. I think anyone who treats you differently because you haven’t met some arbitrary external standard is just not for you. Good way to weed out the suckers.

      Captain Awkward has some GREAT advice about stuff like this. The things you see as weaknesses/disadvantages dating-wise can be reframed as things to own or even celebrate. She’s got some amazing and hilarious sample dating site bios (linky in reply).

    5. Sammie*

      I came out in my thirties. On my online profile I was upfront about being a ‘baby queer’ (label yourself whatever you’recomfortable with and that might be no label at all). Some people I messaged were not into that. Plenty of others were. The low sex drive could have lots of causes behind it. I understand your concerns about it but you are definitely allowed to explore your sexuality as fully as you want, regardless of whether you want to be having sex with people.

      Oh and after I came out so did my cousin and he was 42. We had a good laugh about being old ‘virgins’. All this to say, you are in good company. I have met a lot of people who really only discovered key aspects of themselves in their thirties and older.

    6. The Person from the Resume*

      As far as the lack of experience, just be upfront. When you start dating, admit you haven’t date / haven’t dated many women. Before you get to the sex stage admit you are inexperienced. Sometimes it’s a hard thing to admit, but it is better to do it that way.

      I’d recommend the book Come As You Are. The point is humanity has defined the “normal” human sexually as the way most (not all) men experience sexual attraction. Based physical appearance and easy triggered. Most women require an emotional connection before they experience sexual attraction. You could be one of those people that require more of a connection than most and since that’s not what the media leads us to think is normal for all humans, you feel not normal. It’s a spectrum.

    7. Sam Sepiol*

      Haha I’m 43 and realised I’m bisexual as a result of that thread after being divorced for about 2 years. Definitely not too old to be questioning.

      I’ve made an account on a dating site and made it very clear that I’m pretty newly single and very cautious.

      Have a look at the Highly Specific Dating Profiles towards the end of this post https://captainawkward.com/2019/01/21/it-came-from-the-search-terms-january-song/ and see if they inspire you.

      Good luck.

  75. Lucette Kensack*

    I’m bored.

    Not right at the moment, but more generally.

    Life is good. Work is fine and undemanding. My husband is terrific. I love my dog. I have good friends, I love to read. There’s nothing wrong. But I’m just… bored, and having a hard time imagining how I want to spend the rest of my life.

    My husband and I are coming to the end of several years of trying to get pregnant (we have agreed to stop trying in the next few months). We are genuinely at peace with that decision. I am not heartbroken that I won’t be a mom (we are not considering adoption). We were open to the possibility that this might happen.

    But… it leaves me wondering what we’re going to do with the rest of our lives. We don’t have any projects ahead of us (like raising a family, or starting a business, or whatever). Are we going to just… keep doing what we’re doing? (Like I said — what we’re doing is good. But I’m not, like, inspired by a vision of 40+ more years of just doing what we’re doing now.)

    One thing we could do is travel extravagantly. Not having a kid sure makes your bank account look better! But even then, we’re limited by vacation time. (I have a lot and could take a month off every year to do something exciting. But my husband has a more normal amount of vacation, so we’d just be talking about a fancy one-week trip annually… which sounds fun, but nothing to build our lives around, you know?)

    Anyway. Any ideas?

    1. Lilith*

      Can your husband take longer vacation/days off without pay without harming his position at work? A member of my family takes nice vacations every year (2 to Europe & 1 to Asia –we are in the US), but this person doesn’t earn that much vacay. But it’s ok with job. I dunno–just spit balling a bit.

      1. valentine*

        What activities were you going to do with kids? Is there something you enjoy or would like to try that you would’ve shared with them and were maybe waiting or putting off for other things? Do you want to see all the haunted places in Baltimore, the biggest cowboy boot in the US, an aquarium in every state or on every continent? Would you have added parks or other greenspaces to your routine? Not been to the library recently? What events do they have? Is outdoor movie season coming up? Want to paint with Bob Ross? Anything you want to learn or improve at?

    2. Dan*

      I’m divorced, no kids, not in a serious relationship at the moment, and no real plans to get into one any time soon. I’m an introvert, and after previous poor partner choices, I’m happy coming home after work and not having to deal with OPS (Other People’s Shit).

      I can give you advice on the vacation front — I get a month off every year and have been known to go blow it all overseas in one shot.

      So here’s the rub: I’m *so* used to traveling for extended periods of time, but doing it on a budget. There’s no way I’d blow my month-budget on a single week. Hell, I’ve got a week-long cruise coming up that’s costing me $5k when it’s all said and done, and I’m not entire sure if it’s worth it or not. (It’s a family thing, so yes it’s worth it, but you get the drift.)

      My suggestion: Work out something where you can travel for a longer period of time and have your husband join you for a part of it. The reality is, you have more vacation than your husband does, so you either use it or lose it. May as well use it doing something you want to. There’s no rule that says you have to do all of your traveling together unless you really want to. Another option is for husband to take unpaid leave.

      As far as boredom… sure when I look down the road, things seem monotonous, but for every weekend that comes around, I thank my lucky stars that I get to do what *I* want to do.

    3. Not So NewReader*

      My suggestion is to do what is right in front of you and let it lead you.
      Budgeting- you can plan for a good retirement if you have not already done this.
      Planning trips is a good one.
      Self-development is another good investment of time and a good challenge. Perhaps you or hubby like painting or woodworking or making robots from kits.
      Perhaps community involvement is a thing for you. If you live in a small, rural community groups do not look at skill sets, they just welcome you with open arms. You can develop skills as you go.

      Start with these types of things and expect more to come along in time.

    4. Anona*

      When we were contemplating being childfree, I made a secret Pinterest board and pinned a lot of things related to that. I just went back and looked at it, and a lot of it is encouraging quotes about being childfree, articles and blog posts, but also things like interesting skincare products from the Ordinary, cool places to travel, hobbies I want to explore, and things I want to do, like horseback riding, rock climbing, photography, going to a price fixe dinner, parasailing, wake boarding, maybe getting a counseling degree, making cheese, attending/visiting one regional festival a month on weekends like regional food festivals and ice carving, going to a Michelin star rated restaurant, getting a rescue pet. Basically lots of dreams.

      It helped me to brainstorm and start to be excited about something that had personally painful elements. Kind of reclaiming it.

    5. Lilysparrow*

      Sounds like a good time to think about your purpose.

      Not projects or goals, but your reason why.

      When we get past survival mode, we need a reason that gives meaning to everything else. If you already know it, are you living in alignment with it?

    6. Quandong*

      My idea is different from the other posters so far, in that I really encourage you to speak with a therapist about this.

      In my life I’ve had several significant endings (a marriage, the career I’d trained extensively for, attempts to become a parent, etc) and I definitely recall that sense of ‘what comes next?’ after each ending. Even when it was something I had control over, like my divorce, I did better with professional support to handle the transition to a new phase in my life.

      It’s okay to feel bored and to look at your future with different eyes now. For me, following my interests and developing areas I hadn’t had the energy for has been most fulfilling. My close friend chose to get more involved in altruistic pursuits, and another went back to study in a field she’d always been interested in.

    7. Bluebell*

      A lot of interesting ideas in this thread. My first two thoughts were the therapist one, and also the idea of some sort of altruistic volunteering perhaps. Is there any way of trying to change the world that appeals to you? Though my situation is different, it touches on the what’s next theme — I am currently seeing a therapist and on an undetermined break from working because of my health. During this break I’m taking two really wonderful trips, and also trying to think about what I might want to do next. I definitely have a shorter time horizon then you do, but it is an interesting question!

    8. Aerin*

      Weekend trips can be good. Don’t know if your husband has the option to work remote, but I do that a lot as a way to extend out a trip (or just to fly on a day when it’s cheaper). You’re not gonna be able to do any big international trips on a weekend, but there’s probably a lot you could do that’s closer. Or dig into your local scene. We’re also childfree, so we have memberships to the zoo, the symphony, and the Broadway series, and I’ve always got my ear to the ground for concerts or visiting authors.

      You might check your local college (community or otherwise) and see if they have any interesting classes. I wanted to learn how to sew, so I took an apparel construction class at the JC and it was awesome. Libraries and craft stores frequently offer classes, and gyms sometimes do classes in dance or martial arts, or you could find a studio that does. Or maybe music lessons. Basically you can dabble in stuff that sounds appealing. Even if you don’t find a new passion it can be a fun way to spend a few weeks and meet new people. And if you do find a new hobby that grabs you, well, there you go.

      The other thing we tend to spend a lot of our time/money/energy on without kids is fixing up the house exactly as we want it. Upgrading the furniture or electronics, repainting, home automation, that sort of thing. We turned one bedroom into a library, so getting the books shelved and organized is an ongoing project. Once the husband has a new job and gets settled, we’re gonna turn our attention to finding our forever house (since this one is just a little too small and has pitiful closets). Then making that perfect will definitely take a lot of time!

    9. Melody Pond*

      I scanned the replies you’ve gotten so far and I don’t think I’ve seen any responses along these lines.

      Mr. Pond and I have both been surgically sterilized – we very definitively chose not to have kids, it was never in the plans. But as we’ve been house hunting for a larger place recently, we’ve decided to focus on a place large enough that there would be comfortable space for roommates. We’ve realized that just because we don’t want to have kids doesn’t mean we don’t need more of a sense of community in our home – we need it to be more than just the two of us all the time. And plus, living with another income-producing adult means the opportunity to share some housing costs (which can then mean we have more money to do things we want to do, like travel or make big improvements to whatever house we wind up in).

      So – might you and your husband enjoy having other people around in the house? Are there very close friends or family (siblings, etc.) that you’d be able to live with comfortably?

      Also, I read an article on NPR a while back about some kind of a program in California that matched up recently released ex-convicts to people with space in their houses, who were willing to help those ex-cons get a start over (as they face many barriers to employment and just have a harder time living life after being released). I don’t know about you, but that type of idea appealed to me as well – using the space in my house to do some very tangible good for another person who needs it, which would also mean having more people around the house. (The not-for-profit program did lots of careful vetting with everyone involved, both on the ex-con side, and the host side, and I don’t know if other similar programs exist other places… just an idea.)

    10. Jane of all Trades*

      Are there goals and dreams you had when you were younger than fell by the wayside? Maybe things that child-you always saw adult-you doing? Something like building a garden or restoring an old house, taking up riding or having a dog you can practice agility with, taking an active role in a not for profit program, mentoring younger people in your career, or something similar? I am thinking along the lines of projects that become part of who you are and that you develop long term goals for, rather than “hobbies”?

  76. Mrs. Carmen Sandiego JD*

    Sometimes I get random cravings for brownies or froyo. Any healthy dessert ideas out there?

    So far, I do protein baked pumpkin yogurt cinnamon bites but with spring/summer I’m looking for colder non-bake/other recipes.

    And ideas to get more excited to eat fruit/veggies. Sometimes I eat apples so often I get apathetic but also want to be budget-friendly…

    1. Laura H.*

      My grandma makes this really yummy dessert using stove top pudding and jello ( I think they’re both sugar free) and it’s like a pie without the pie crust.

    3. Not A Manager*

      There are a lot of “ice cream” recipes based on bananas out there. They’re actually pretty good and the ingredients are basically bananas and mix-ins.

      A stand-by Passover/pareve dessert is egg whites beaten with fruit and sugar, and then frozen. Strawberries are a staple, but I think you can do others. If you google you will probably find recipes. You can use regular egg whites if you’re okay with that, or use pasteurized eggs. IIRC there’s not that much sugar in the original recipe. You can probably substitute lo-cal sweetener for some of the sugar but maybe not all of it.

    4. Dr. Anonymous*

      Slice an apple, cover it pretty tightly, and microwave for about 3 minutes. Works best with a very slightly tart apple like a Fuji or a Gala. Takes very little time and it feels like a treat.

      1. Thursday Next*

        Add some cinnamon before microwaving. The scent is awesome!

        This also makes a really great breakfast with some oatmeal.

    5. Trixie*

      I have the worst crunchy snack addition ever. I’ve recently moved to bakes veggies for some healthy crunchy. Kale, brussels sprouts, or my favorite: broccoli. In a toaster oven, it’s super easy to make small batches at a time.

    6. Anona*

      Black bean brownies by chocolate covered Katie are pretty good! No flour, not that many ingredients. They’re best when warm. I’ve made them in a blender, but food processor is best.

    7. Mixed Nuts*

      My favorite craving snack is apple slices with peanut butter and sprinkled with chopped pecans and chocolate chips (or no chocolate if you’re staying away from sweets). I get a lot of ideas from the Cleanfoodcrush blog. She has a delicious recipe for zucchini brownies!

    8. Anono-me*

      A small bowl of Canned Organic Chocolate Whip Cream often works to break a chocolate craving for me. (If not, I WALK to the grocery store, the NEXT evening and get the tiny single serving Hagen Daz icecream package. )

  77. The Librarian (not the type from TNT)*

    I didn’t see a running thread here, so I’ll go first today.
    I wasn’t planning to run a second half marathon this spring, but I was inspired after the NYC Half and I absolutely love doing the Asbury Park Run-a-Palooza… so I signed up on a lark just before the registration closed. It wasn’t my fastest race by any stretch (2:04:30 or thereabouts — I don’t run with a watch and results weren’t posted yet), but I felt pretty strong throughout and ran a consistent race. I have a saying that when you race, on some days you’re an express train and on some days you’re the bus. Today I was somewhere in the middle; maybe an express bus on a day without much traffic?

    LGC, if you’re out there, good luck in Boston (though I’m sure I’ll be on again next weekend). I hope you are having a relaxing taper! Everyone else — hope you’re out enjoying the spring weather if there actually is spring weather in your area.

    1. Ktelzbeth*

      Congrats on your second race!

      I have to go out for my long run of the week. Watch me spring into action!

    2. Searching*

      Ran a 15K race yesterday, and improved my pace per mile by 1:15 over last year! I was thrilled. I started running late in life, and this (my sixth) year I finally feel some things are clicking. I’m signed up for a half marathon next month (also my sixth), and really hope I can make it under 2 hrs 30 min this time. But there are always so many variables, esp. the weather, so I’m determined to just enjoy it and not stress about my time too much.

      1. LGC*

        That’s awesome! Congratulations! Dropping almost 12 minutes off your time is really impressive.

    3. LGC*

      …dude, I was at Asbury Park! My friends were doing two of the pace groups. (I didn’t have a chance to register, so I literally ran around. I got some cool pics and a terrible video.) I kind of regret not signing up for it because it looks like a nice race.

      (…I might have also hopped in the race a little bit. I was the tall awkward guy running around with a phone in his hand.)

      It’s funny that you mention tapering because I just remembered to start tapering this week. (It was like, “OH WAIT I FORGOT I’M SHIPPING UP TO BOSTON IN TWO WEEKS WHOOPS.”) I think that having a disorganized schedule (and okay, slightly less mileage) helped, because I don’t feel like I need to figure out what to do with myself or that I just want to sleep for the next week until I take a Bolt Bus up to Boston.

  78. Foreign Octopus*

    Book thread!

    What’s everyone been reading this week?

    I’ve been on a bit of a spree because of free time. I finished the Underground Rail by Colson Whitehead (oh my god, loved it) and read Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (how did no one notice she was pregnant!?) as well as The Human Comedy by William Saroyan (I didn’t get what he was trying to do).

    I’m about to star Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders and I’ve flipped through it. I’m a little concerned about how it’s structured but I’ve heard good things about it so I’m going in with an open mind.

    1. Lynne879*

      I’m probably late to the party, but I’m listening to the audiobook for “Born a Crime” by Trevor Noah.

      I live in the US and didn’t know about apartheid in South Africa until I was around 20 (I’m 26 now). Unfortunately, it was not taught in my history classes in public school. Reading about it in Trevor’s book, I just can’t fathom how recent this was. It just seems like something out of a dystopian novel rather than something so painful and real.

    2. Cheesesteak in Paradise*

      Just re-read “Gregor the Overlander” series by Suzanne Collins (of “Hunger Games”). Technically it’s YA but I as an adult think it’s a compelling read (even if each book wraps up a little too neatly) and a better exploration of war and its effects than HG was.

    3. AcademiaNut*

      I’ve been working my way through T. Kingfisher’s books – the Clocktaur Wars and Swordheart in particular, as well as Nine Goblins. Fun fantasy, fairly short reads (no multi book epics), with a good sense of humour and a focus on character interaction.

    4. The Other Dawn*

      I just finished Verses for the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It’s the latest in the Pendergast series. For some reason I didn’t love it as much as I loved previous books in the series. This one seemed…I don’t know…lacking somehow. I wish they’d fleshed out a few of the characters a bit more. It also seemed too short, but that’s probably because the books I’ve been reading the last few months are 600+ pages and this one was the standard 350 or so.

      Next up is Gideon’s Sword, another Preston and Child book.

    5. Nicki Name*

      Currently reading Space Unicorn Blues. It’s a space opera where the aliens use magic and look like fairies, elves, etc. The main characters are a half-unicorn man and a disabled Maori woman who’s a war hero, currently trying to deliver an urgent package on behalf of a mysterious order of nuns who seem to have knowledge of the future. Weird but amazing.

    6. Lady Jay*

      Started Octavia Butler’s Wild Seed & am enjoying it so far. Good characters, just the right amount of creepy and unfamiliar.

      Butler writes strange, unsettling science fiction–and given that the whole point of science fiction is to imagine other worlds, it makes her writing very good, both at world-building and at challenging our preconceptions. I read all of Xenogenesis last year & while the story flagged a bit at times, the Weird aliens she imagined made it worth it.

    8. Marion Ravenwood*

      I read The Name of the Wind when I was in Seville last weekend. Oh my goodness me, what a wonderful book. It did take a little while to get into but once I’d broken the back of it I didn’t want it to end. Kvothe is such a great anti-hero and I loved all the world-building in particular.

      Then I whipped through Peril at End House for my Agatha Christie book club. It was a good quick read and I though the twist at the end was particularly effective.

      And now I’m re-reading Children of Blood and Bone for a book club. So far I’m enjoying it, but not necessarily as much as I was the first time I read it. I think I’m not as immersed in the world as I was, but it’s still very well-written and I like the characters a lot.

      I also just had a minor blowout in the Kindle spring sale and bought 13 books for just over £15, so I think I’m well stocked for reading material for the next few months!

    9. Bulbasaur*

      Lincoln in the Bardo is polarizing. I enjoyed it but thought it was nothing special and certainly not award material. My mother read it and hated it. Thankfully it was a gift from her to me, rather than vice versa, but I think she will be less keen to rely blindly on literary awards from now on.

      Critics apparently loved it, almost without exception, so maybe my mother and I are outliers. I hope your experience is more like theirs.

    10. SpellingBee*

      Late to this, but I just re-read one of my favorite books of all time – In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read it. Now looking for something else, not sure what I’m in the mood for; I’ve been starting things and putting them down again lately.

    1. Parenthetically*

      Best: it’s really, finally, properly spring here, and it’s been gorgeous.

      Worst: Same as last week — WE ARE STILL FCKING SICK. I’m going to fill a scrip for amoxicillin right now. So far my kid seems to be escaping the worst of it. I’m so tired of being sick.

        1. Parenthetically*

          It is, dagnabbit. I’ve had a fever off and on for two of those weeks, and it’s just been a rough, viral, disgusting winter generally. Enough is right!

      2. Sicky McSickerson*

        Ugh, same here with the marathon illness! I had to see three different doctors before one would finally give me the amoxicillin I need to get better.

        I’ve gotten spring and fall sinus infections every year like clockwork since the mid-eighties, I’ve had multiple scans to determine if I’m a sinus surgery candidate (I’m not) and my usual doc knows the routine. But, he’s on long-term medical leave, and the children he has filling in for him seem to think their job is to tell everyone that every illness is viral and hoard antibiotics like dragons sitting on a pile of gold. I’ve spent almost two hundred bucks on copays, and only finally got the last doctor to finally give me antibiotics because I coughed up something gigantic and bright green right in front of him.

        I swear I could get opioids with less difficulty than it took to get this damned amoxicillin. It’s becoming a major problem in my region. One of my colleagues has a sinus infection that got so bad it spread to his eyes, and he had actual pus coming out of his tear ducts before they would finally give him antibiotics.

        1. Parenthetically*

          Our doc is wonderful, and does exactly what I’d want any doc to do when, yeah, it’s probably viral — give you a differential, write a prescription for antibiotics, and say, “Fill this if X, Y, and Z happen.” I totally get not overprescribing antibiotics, but sometimes, especially if something’s been hanging on for AGES, it’s worth a shot even if you’re not 100% sure it’s really bacterial.

        2. KR*

          I swear that was every doctor I had growing up. I would have a cough that made it sound like I had smoked for 40 years and it would go on for at least a month, usually closer to all winter, along with all the normal runny nose/dry mouth/lose my voice/difficulty breathing/sore throat/ect. No fevers, tonsils never swollen enough for removal, no strep. “Oh it’s just a virus, can’t do anything sorry!” Over the counter medicines wouldn’t work, doctor wouldn’t prescribe something stronger or more effective. By the second or third week I was not only still sick but exhausted because I couldn’t sleep soundly because of the coughing. Couldn’t stay home because I didn’t have a diagnosed illness and I would have never passed school if I stayed home that much. School wanted a doctor’s note to let me stay home and my parents weren’t willing to bring me to get the note because the doctor was so useless. Once or twice my parents brought me in because they legit got concerned looks in public and calls from the school asking if I had been to see a doctor because I was clearly sick. Never tried antibiotics and shrugged shoulders when my parents demanded some help as it’s not normal for a kid to cough like a chain-smoker for literally the entire winter. Sorry this is asore spot for me too. Still mad about it

    2. Ruffingit*

      WORST: I worked five days and four nights this week. Exhausting.

      BEST: I got to sleep a lot today. Really helped.

    3. Trixie*

      Best: My neighborhood has annual spring bulk pick up recently. In addition to hauling away items to big to fit in my car, great opportunity for “dumpster divers.” I still have a few pieces left which I will probably leave curbside for local neighbor/family to find. Purging for spring/summer and it feels awesome!

      Worst: After two (repeat, two) car accidents, received my car insurance renewals. Apparently, my state has one of the highest rate jumps post-accident. I’ll shop around a bit but chances are I’ll need to bide my time until my record clears.

    4. Elizabeth West*

      BEST: Got my hair done yesterday and I really like it. We went just a touch darker; we’re experimenting trying to keep it looking natural. I love my stylist, and I need that pampering now and then. It’s also getting mega long. Here’ s a pic: https://i.imgur.com/u8x8TG7.jpg

      WORST: I have a relentless case of tennis elbow and it’s getting really tiring to hurt all the time. I’m tempted to ask the doc about cortisone just to make it stawwwwwp.

      1. Lilith*

        Wow, your hair is gorg! Truly lovely in color & style. Sorry about your elbow. I’ve had cortisone in my back (arthritis) & it worked well for a couple rounds.

    5. Chi chan*

      Best: a quiet room, cookies and the sunset
      Worst: well chores to do and some anxiety.

    6. Jaid*

      Best: I got thru training with minimal boredom.

      Worst: I asked my co-worker to turn off her radio when she leaves her desk, because her headphones leak the music loud enough to be heard over my desk fan…and she went off on me. Full on rant on how everything is about me, I complain too much, my food is funny, I butt into other people’s conversations, and I’m clock-watching her.
      Also I say her name funny (which is true and she really didn’t mind, but I guess she got tired of it and just.never.spoke.up).
      Most of what she said really isn’t true (I asked other people) and frankly, she had a hate-on for a co-worker who hummed and sang hymns under her breath. For her to be pissed about my asking about her radio…well.
      I’ll see what happens on Monday.

    7. Isabekka*

      BEST My Niece got into her first choice for university.

      WORST See my post about my cousin.

  80. OyHiOh*

    It’s been a rough week, for me and the kids. Called various kids in to school on two hour delays on different days because they, and I, are done with 7:30 am wailing over hair and uniforms as a substitute to wailing about missing abba. Two hours to regroup and reset works wonders so that’s my strategy moving forward. For my part, the week was low on motivation to do . . . . . . well almost anything. Struggled to keep things clean, spent a lot of time in bed or staring out windows. Last night and today have been a lot better – spending time with my religious community helps. Pretty sure the kids are going to mount a rebellion tomorrow when they discover I volunteered them to help Passover-clean the downstairs at the shul. But **I** need to do things like that and it will be good for their hearts and minds to participate as well. I’ll take them to the library after, if they don’t spend the entire time yelling and stomping their feet.

    I’m happy to have discovered this morning that after close to four months of one respiratory virus after another, my voice has finally healed and I can sing properly again. I sound terrible, haha, but the range is there. Quality will come with practice now. So yay!

    1. Not A Manager*

      I was hoping you’d post this week. Sorry it’s been rough. It sounds like you’re handling things as well as possible.

      Keep being good to yourself. Sending you my best thoughts now and over the holiday.

    2. Not So NewReader*

      Yep, you are right, you do need to do things like volunteering. It’s one way we can bring back our own power when we feel powerless.
      And it sounds like you are finding creative solutions to keep things moving along. It probably feels like a crawl, I am sure. This will change, just keep making those tweaks as they occur to you.

      My friend just hit the four month mark since her hubby passed. I went to see the other day and she said, “Gosh the first three months sucked! It felt like I was losing my mind.” Yeah, the first three months are the absolute pits. And yeah, grief can cause us to feel like we are losing our ability to control our thoughts and keep our thoughts in an orderly manner. So I chatted with my friend about starting new routines and getting used to the new routines. The more of that we do the more of our minds come back to us. We need to see ourselves actually getting through the day or the week. And we have to do this many times before we start to believe that we are making sense out of life after all the mind-bending stuff we have been through.

      I can see positive changes in my friend. She is not crying every day when she opens the mail. She is making some decisions about things she does not need. Inch by inch. She does not think she has moved that far along. This is pretty normal too. It’s only years later that I was able to appreciate what I did do to try to help myself. I think this is because there is just too much that has to be done. “Here is this handy teaspoon. You can use this teaspoon to move Mt. Everest.” yeah. right.

      Keep digging at Mt. Everest with that teaspoon. Not everything that happens next is awful. Nice things will happen. Sometimes heart-warming or soul-filling things will happen. It’s okay to expect these moments. People who have suffered hard losses can get special insights that they may not have gotten at other times. It’s okay to expect these insights to happen also.

    3. Thursday Next*

      I’m glad that you’re doing what works for your family in terms of school. It’s terrible to start the day off with a struggle. (A side note of comedy: my two come out of their room, flop down on opposite ends of the couch, and then kick each other and complain about the other one being there. Neither one gets up despite being kicked. Every weekday morning.)

      Having a warm religious community is wonderful, and I think volunteering can help take us out of our own mind space when we’re feeling vulnerable. I’m glad you,have this outlet.

      And hurray on recovering your singing voice!

  81. Folx ???*

    I noticed several instances of people using the made-up word FOLX in the LGBTQ thread. This isn’t the first time I have seen it used in queer spaces. Why is this necessary? Folks is already a gender neutral term?

        1. Lucy*

          -x as a gender neutral suffix is pretty common online nowadays though I think I first saw it as Latinx (where Latino/Latina are unavoidably gender marked) and Mx (for “my gender and marital status are irrelevant to this store card application”).

          All words were made up once. I think -x is a positive move.

          1. Not So NewReader*

            This is interesting to me. And it sounds like a good solution to the Mr/Mrs/Miss mess. So, sincere question, how is Mx pronounced? Or is it only used in writing?

              1. Lucy*

                I don’t think I’ve heard it spoken.

                I’m on a kick to keep unnecessarily gendered language out of everyday use more generally, fwiw. That’s why I pay attention to and appreciate this kind of development.

                2. Jane of all Trades*

                  Right there with you! Do you have a favorite to replace “Ladies and gentlemen” in written work correspondence? Right now tbh I’m just fighting to change “dear sirs” to at least “Ladies and gentlemen” in work product, but I would like to replace it with something that is not gendered at all. I would like to just use “dear investors” or “dear members of the board” etc, but I don’t think I’ll be successful because it isn’t a sufficiently widely used salutation.

                3. Rainy*

                  @janeofalltrades I think “theydies and gentlethem” is pretty cute and flows well, but I just say “Folks” or “People” or start with “Thank you for coming!” instead of “Ladies and gentlemen”.

                4. Rainy*

                  @Jane

                  Argh, sorry, I am way pre coffee.

                  For written work stuff, I say “All” or “Hi all” or “Dear all” for groups of more than 3.

                5. Lucy*

                  Jane, I go for “Dear All” in emails.

                  Industry standard is “Dear Sirs” for letters but I write mercifully few of those nowadays. I will shortly be writing a very important “Dear Members of the Panel” but I think however clunky that feels, it is completely appropriate.

        2. Queer Eye Ace Bi*

          Wikipedia has a good article explaining the history and meaning, if you are genuinely interested.

    3. Traffic_Spiral*

      Well, to quote Thor, all words are made up. That being said, I personally think it’s stupid. But THAT being said, it’s less annoying… when people put elipses… all… over… their sentences. And frankly I can only crusade against one terrible written trend at a time.

      1. valentine*

        Some people find periods “Way harsh, Tai.” I blocked someone for that on a forum. #pax

        1. Lucy*

          It’s commonplace in the UK to replace those awful ellipses with even worse “xxx” (that is, kisses).

          So instead of “ok babe. See you later then. Are you coming for drinks on Friday?” which would be “ok babe … see you later then … are you coming for drinks on Friday?” in the US, we get:

          “ok babe xxx see you later then xxx are you coming for drinks on Friday xxxx”

          /eye bleach/

      2. Melody Pond*

        Ha, I was literally coming here to say:

        To quote Thor, in Infinity War: “All words are made up.” Language is defined by how people use it.

        1. Lilith*

          The salutation I abhor is “Dear Sir or Madam:” urg. that really needs to be changed . Maybe it has. I’m old, so if it has, can someone tell me what’s correct now?

          1. traffic_spiral*

            To whom it may concern? Generally we just e-stalk until we can find a name, though.

  82. De Minimis*

    I loved The Imperfectionists, but have struggled to get into Rachman’s other novels for whatever reason.

  83. End Of My Rope*

    This sounds insane even to post here. “Anyone go through a divorce with small children? Would it have been easier to stay until they were older?”

    My husband and I have a purely transactional relationship at this point. We work opposite shifts because H doesn’t want to pay for child care; I’ve been the breadwinner for years and he spends it all. I come home exhausted (I have a 60min commute each way, we moved for his job) and have to immediately start in on the house because cooking and cleaning are too much for him. On the weekends he sleeps all day and gets up about an hour before the kids go to bed, then plays video games all night and does it again on Sunday.

    I want to drive away and never come back. I love my kids, and I know that small children are hard, but I hate my life. I have nothing left in the tank for my kids and I hate my “partner.” I keep telling myself, it’ll be better when they’re in school, let them get a little older before I ruin their lives. It somehow seems easier to do this on my own when I KNOW I’m on my own, instead of H’s sabotage and unreliability.

    Is there a “good” age for divorcing parents?

    1. Ask a Manager* Post author

      As someone who had to do a lot of work to undo the effects of my parents’ decision to stay in a horrid marriage for the sake of me and my sister, I urge you in the strongest of terms to consider that there can be really profound negative repercussions on kids when you do this. At a minimum, your kids are absorbing lessons from your relationship. And if you’re resentful/angry/unhappy, they are marinating in that environment, possibly to very bad long-term effect.

      (This one is personal to me, clearly!)

        1. Zona the Great*

          Concurred whole heartedly. Ask most therapists; most people resent their parents for not divorcing earlier. I’m 32 and finally feel okay about the wreckage the went down.

          1. valentine*

            You’re thinking they’re better off cohabiting with both parents, but not if everyone would be happier apart. It’s never too soon for your kids to see you happy and modeling self-care and self-respect. If you’re a woman, let them see how you think people should treat women, how partners should treat each other. You don’t have a partnership right now; your family isn’t a team working together for everyone’s joy. You have a willfully sabotaging housemate. What is he really contributing? It will be good for the kids to see him get out and about, get a job, and do other stuff. There’s someone (who possibly commented here?) that said she thought single-parenting three children would be impossible, but, because her ex had been a dead weight, his absence was a relief and literal weights lifted, as she only had to do all the work for four, instead of five, people.

            I’ve been the breadwinner for years and he spends it all.
            This may be step 1 to tackle. Ask your attorney how to stop the bleed.

            1. valentine*

              Whoops. That should read:
              I’ve been the breadwinner for years and he spends it all.
              This may be step 1 to tackle. Ask your attorney how to stop the bleed.

        2. Earthwalker*

          I second that. My brother and I discussed how we could see our parents’ marriage dissolving when I was ten. I learned years later that they thought we were way too young to see it happening. But we saw so much anger when we were young enough to think we were to blame and it was scary. I was in college and he was in high school when they finally decided they no longer needed to “keep it together for the children,” but it would have done both them and us a world of good if they’d split right when they stopped loving each other.

        3. Madge*

          My parents stayed together and divorced when I was in college. My mom once told me she first thought of leaving when I was 7. I got to watch their relationship deteriorate over the years. And my heart breaks for my little brother who was stuck at home for the bitter end. I don’t come from a broken home. The divorce fixed it. And oh, the things that might not have broken if they had done it sooner.

        4. Aerin*

          Yuuuuup. My parents were miserable and it made the rest of us miserable. When they finally split up, the reaction from all four of us kids was “OMG FINALLY.” Splitting households was way less complicated and damaging than stewing in that mess. Now they’re both remarried to much more suitable partners and everyone is happier. And they’re even pretty chill with each other when we get together for family stuff. (My dad and my stepdad got super tight when my sister was in the hospital, which was great but also a little weird.)

          The very best thing you can do for your kids is call a lawyer today and start exploring your options.

        5. Countess Boochie Flagrante*

          Agreed 50000% on “the earlier the better.”

          My parents divorced when I was ~2. I have zero memory of living in a house with both of them, and from everything I’ve gathered, that’s emphatically for the best.

    2. OyHiOh*

      Now is as good a time as any. Your kids will struggle with a sense of loss but empathy and understanding go a very long way indeed and if they need to see a therapist our counselor periodically, well, I firmly believe in normalizing a person’s need to talk with someone outside their family and they will gain nothing but good things from having those conversations.

      I would tell you that you need to think about your happiness and ability to function and when you have answers there, make sure your kids have the support they need to get through a difficult but necessary time.

    3. Lepidoptera*

      Only going on the info you’ve provided here:

      You have an insanely long commute
      Your husband provides no help with housekeeping or child rearing
      Your husband sabotages you financially

      How is being with this person easier than being without him? If you divorced, you’d be able to shorten your commute, control the mess better, and limit his spending of your salary. Is it better for your kids to have an angry, tired, married mother, or a calmer, healthy, divorced mother?

      2. Traffic_Spiral*

        Yeah, and with some sort of shared custody, he’ll have to actually step up and parent when he’s got them.

        1. Rainy*

          Or dump them off on his parents. Or just not show up for his visitation. But it’s better for them to see one parent who has it together and one parent who’s clearly barely meeting the minimum requirements for adulthood than two parents who, together, are a household full of misery and chaos and selfish privation.

      3. blackcat*

        Yes, this.
        Once you do not have to take care of him, you will have one fewer child to parent.

    4. Ann O.*

      I have no personal experience, but I have had a cohort of friends divorce when their kids were small. From what I could tell from the outside, it was an easier transition for the younger kids than older kids. The younger kids’ norms aren’t set yet. Divorce is fairly common these days, so they’ll have other friends with divorced parents.

    5. Nicole76*

      I’m sorry you’re so unhappy. My husband divorced his first wife when his kids where 2 and 5. It was much harder on the older child and she had to go through therapy (it didn’t help that his ex bad-mouthed him to the kids). The other one was fine because he was so young to him it was always that mommy and daddy didn’t live together so he doesn’t hold any resentment.

      Also, like Alison pointed out, kids are affected by your tenuous relationship regardless, so I’m not sure it’s any better for them psychologically for you two to live under the same roof. My parents, while still together, have never seemed to like one another, and it made things tense (and still does to this day). It didn’t help that they both complained, and still complain, about one another to me. What am I supposed to do with that information? I really hate it, and I recall at the age of 8 begging my mom to just get a divorce.

      1. Flash Bristow*

        I begged my parents to divorce (so I could live with my dad…) – they didn’t. I always resented my mother for hanging in there and holding things together despite the difficulties.

        My judgement may have been off – adults might have seen my mother as brave for kinda sacrificing things to stay with my dad, but they didn’t see how abusive she was to all of us and how he had little choice (for Various Reasons).

        But kids do pick up on stuff. Once my mother shrieked at my dad not to give me his food as “you’ll only poison her” . I believed thereafter that his food was toxic, even tho he was a great cook. And so on. Even if the discomfort between you and your husband is unspoken, they’ll know.

        Please, if you’re not able to stay together, make the break as soon as you can.

        I wish you luck, because it’s so hard to make a change, but maybe it will help to tell yourself “this time next year, we will be…”

    6. dumblewald*

      I don’t have experience with divorce, but I grew up seeing my mother experience a lot of stress due to the amount of thankless work she put into her marriage (like you are doing now.) You won’t be doing your kids any favors by staying in a terrible marriage at the expense of your own health/sanity. It’s hard for kids to see their mother suffer.

      The way I would think of it is if you stay in this marriage, the kids will experience 2 unhappy parents (one neglectful and one very upset). If you divorce, even though it is not ideal, they will have, at the very least, one happy parent (hopefully!)

    7. Theodoric of York*

      Gotta agree with the previous replies. Right now, you have one extra child to manage. You will be much better off after you lose him in the divorce. Delaying the inevitable is just wearing you down.

    8. Morning Glory*

      My parents divorced when I was 14 after several unhappy years. Life was miserable those years and I learned a lot of wrong lessons about communication, fighting, and how to treat the person you love.

      I am going to assume this is a hetero marriage. You are teaching your kids that it is ok for your husband to treat you like garbage. You are teaching your daughter/s that it is ok for their romantic partners to treat them like garbage. You are teaching your sons that it is ok for them to treat their romantic partners like garbage. You’re also teaching them both that it is ok for them to treat you like garbage. These are all really terrible lessons to teach children.

      The worst thing you could do for your children is stay in this marriage.

    9. The Other Dawn*

      I friend of mine stayed in an unhappy marriage. She stayed “for the sake of the kids.” Through the years they cheated on each other, had wicked fights in front of the kids, said some really bad things, etc. Well, they’re finally divorced after being unhappy for 20+ years, and her adult daughter is following in her footsteps. Daughter was off and on with a guy that had a drug problem and didn’t treat her well. At one point when they were on again, she cheated on him. They’ve now had a baby together, they’re all living with my friend, the boyfriend is back on drugs again and treats the daughter terribly, but the daughter just takes it and doesn’t want to break up because they have a kid together. Daughter’s got terrible self esteem and no confidence, just like mom while she was married. My friend is having a hell of a time trying to make her daughter see the light, but she won’t listen. My friend didn’t either when I tried the same thing with her over the years.

      Don’t stay in an unhappy marriage one second longer than necessary. Kids know things even when we think they don’t. They absorb it all like sponges and they may carry that into their own relationships.

    10. WellRed*

      Like they say on airplanes, put your oxygen mask on first, then help others. Kids are resilient, just be respectful of their father and don’t badmouth him ( no matter how tempting).

    11. Puppy Lover*

      I just went through this a year ago. We weren’t married but have children together. Same scenario but the straw that broke the camel’s back was coming home to him and his secretary. Our children were very young. I don’t know if it’s better on them being young or not. All I know is that I am a better parent without him.

      I also grew up in a home where my parents despised each other and ‘stayed together for the kids.” It was awful. I begged them to split but they never would. I knew I couldn’t do that to my children.

      Whatever you choose to do. Do it for yourself first. You can’t help your children if you’re not helping yourself. Good luck!

    12. Not So NewReader*

      We have another poster here who successfully left her financial sink hole of a spouse with a young child. I am hoping she chimes in here.
      No, it does not sound insane to post this here. We’ve had many conversations about really hard life issues and lots of people have learned many things. You picked well when you posted here.
      Keep coming back and letting us know how you are doing.

    14. kc89*

      my parents divorcing when I was like 3/4 was super easy for me because I barely remember it

      whereas my older sibling has issues with it into adulthood

      if you know you’re going to get divorced, the sooner the better

    15. WoodswomanWrites*

      First, thanks for bringing your question here. This is a helpful group that has provided insights for me and others, including people going through the kind of challenges you’re facing. My parents divorced when I was 4. I was so young that I barely remember them living together, it was just how things were for me.

      I can’t imagine that the dynamic you describe is the home you want your children to grow up in. I hope you can rethink that adage of “for the sake of the kids.” It really should be turned on its head, so that it’s instead what people say when they realize the marriage is over and move forward with divorce.

    16. Quandong*

      I stayed married well past the point of hating my then-husband [for different reasons to yours]. The long-term stress affected my wellbeing after I divorced and I regret not leaving earlier. Please don’t discount the harm that your relationship causes to you and your children.

      From my experience I encourage you to take care of yourself and your children by separating immediately, and divorcing as soon as you can do so.

      Please gather information relating to divorce, spousal support, and all those things from a lawyer sooner rather than later. I realize it’s extra work but being informed is very important as you navigate this process. I hope you may have a support network who can help you.

      I hope it’s okay to comment even though I didn’t have children with my ex – I haven’t seen comments about legal advice yet.

      1. Quandong*

        Forgot to say – my parents have a dysfunctional marriage, and I absorbed so much by being exposed to it. Even though I knew it wasn’t okay (and wished they would break up from when I was young) I learned patterns that I replicated in my adult life & relationships.

        I think my parents would be surprised by how much of my therapy has been about dismantling dysfunction I learned from them.

    17. Ruffingit*

      Do it now. I was 4 when my parents divorced and I can’t ever really remember them being together. It would have been much harder on me if they had stayed together and I was able to remember the bad times.

      Also, you can get the divorce, move closer to your job thus cutting your commute and be a generally happier person which will be much better for the kids and for you!

    18. Chi chan*

      You are working so very hard. Divorcing for the kids would be easier if they are younger. Easy for them to forget things were ever any other way up to about the age of 3. But it would be hard work for you and you need not do it alone. Divorce will change their lives but not ruin it even if they are older.

    19. Penelope Garcia’s glasses*

      Please do not ever ever tell your kids you stayed for them. My mother told me this and it has been a huge burden. Especially as I wanted them to split up.

    20. Sam Sepiol*

      I read a LOT of stuff on Captain awkward about how when parents stay married until the kids leave home, the kids realise what has happened and it can devastate them to realise that times they thought were happy weren’t for their parents.

      Kid was 6 when I left. He has struggled to accept it at times, and school have given him lots of support to help him through. But I wasn’t willing to stay and let him think that emotional abuse and manipulation were normal in a marriage.

      Please keep posting here (if you want to!). It helped me leave.

      1. Sam Sepiol*

        Also. You won’t ruin their lives by leaving your husband.

        It’s really hard not having another adult in the house. But I can decide where to put my energy and if that means my house is a mess, so be it. I don’t have to feel bad about what he’ll think of that.

        My parents have been married over 40 years. They have come to some kind of peace now, but I think they should have divorced when I was a teenager, a very long time ago.

    21. A Non E. Mouse*

      Earlier the better. My kids were 3 and 1 when my first husband divorced and it was hard, yes, but my kids have just really never known different.

      They were young enough that the oldest only kind of remembers us living with my parents before I met my current husband. The kid that was 1 doesn’t ever remember a time before her stepfather came into her life.

      Life was hard but much, much better without my first husband dragging us down every day. It was hard, we were poor, and I had to fight tooth and nail for every penny of child support, including letters from the state threatening jail if he didn’t pay.

      Now, many years later, he and I get along great, the kids feel at home both houses, and we each have had another child along the way, me with my husband and him with an ex-girlfriend.

      My only regret is not doing it sooner, when I was pregnant with the then 1 year old. It was obvious when I was 4 months pregnant that I should divorce, it I tried to hang in there “for the kids”.

      It’s hard. It will work out.

    22. Helpful*

      A dissenting view or an alternative perspective to consider: do you trust your spouse to co-parent with you? Your kids would be 50% with him without your supervision. Are you okay with that? If he is in any way negligent or crappy to the kids, consider that staying together allows you to supervise in a closer way.

        1. valentine*

          Wow. End Of My Rope should not martyr herself to this guy and one layperson isn’t sufficient supervision for a negligent or otherwise harmful parent.

      2. Sam Sepiol*

        That would be a terrible reason to stay.

        My ex thinks we had a “normal” divorce and he only has the child about 30% of the week, not counting school time.

        If the husband isn’t bothered about the kids he’s unlikely to win 50-50 custody.

      3. Koala dreams*

        I’m not sure if I misunderstood this point, but it sounds like the current set-up is 50 % care-taking each and it’s a big stress since the husband doesn’t do his part. I’m sure if the wife had the opportunity to stay home and supervise the husband she would already have considered it. After a divorce, the wife could do 100 % of the care-taking, with could include hiring a trusted baby-sitter or find a good daycare, so it would be less stressful than now. Even if they take care of the children on a schedule after the divorce, it would be very unlikely that the wife would get less time with the children than 50 %, and very likely that she will get more.

      5. Heavy Stuff*

        My divorced parents had a 50-50 split. My father was awful to live with, but having refuge with my mother half the time frankly kept me from killing myself. And she was obviously much better off for not having to live with him. I can see your thinking, but I disagree.

    23. Wulfgar*

      I hoped my parents would divorce. I knew from a very early age that they were unhappy. It made life very stressful for me and my siblings. When I was 20, and my dad only 43, he died of a hear attack and never had the chance to be happy.

      Your happiness and mental health are important!

    24. It's me*

      My parents got divorced when I was 6 years old. Please, don’t stay for their sake. It didn’t ruin my life, in fact I am thankful they decided to split and are both happy now. I have told my mom more than once that I am glad they got divorced, were amicable and both found people who make them happy.

    25. blackcat*

      I think if you can have a shorter commute and not have to deal with your “partner,” you’ll have much more in the tank for your kids.

      Your kids may be happier in daycare–quite a few are. And kids in daycare means less to do around the house–they make less mess if they are home for less time.

      I was a teacher for quite some time. The kids whose parents divorced when they were very young, before 6 or so, generally didn’t have many feelings about it. Divorces seem much harder on teens–they’re aware enough to understand and simple explanations don’t work. One girl I taught had a very hard time with her dad’s third (yup, third) divorce, when she was 12, but was unfased by the one when she was 7, and has no memory of her parents being together (divorced when she was 2).

      Kids are resilient. They’ll be fine. Get yourself a therapist and lawyer, and start getting your ass out of there.

    26. Merci Dee*

      I divorced my ex when my daughter was about 18 months old. He’d been living 3 states away for about 2 months at the time, so I had an idea of what I was getting into with respect to single parenthood. But it was still a relief. I went from taking care of 2 children back to caring for the one I’d actually given birth to.

      Not going to lie to you, parenting on your own will be hard sometimes, and you’ll occasionally wish you could sell your kids to the circus just so you don’t have to get up before the butt-crack of dawn on Saturday mornings. But you’ll find that your household will pretty quickly fall into its own rhythm that works for you and the kids.

      As part of my divorce, I was granted sole legal and physical custody of my daughter, so I didn’t have to actively chase down my ex to make a lot of important decisions about kiddo’s schooling, healthcare, etc. Also, since it was just me, my daughter didn’t have the option to opinion shop with her dad when she didn’t like the answer I gave her – I was the final authority. Interestingly enough, being the final authority on decisions in our home really opened another avenue for discussion with my kid. Instead of her dad and I arguing the pros and cons of decisions for her and leaving her out of the process, my daughter and I were having those conversations ourselves so she felt included in the decisions that affected her. And I learned that it’s okay to make a decision, have a talk with her about it, and change my mind about the decision I made. I don’t have to be right all the time.

      I was lucky to have some family in my area, so my parents were able to help with things like taking kiddo to doctor and dentist appointments, etc. And when she was younger, I lived for the Friday nights when Granny and Pop would take her to their place to spend the night. Invariably, my “me time” would be spent going to bed before 8:30. It was ~glorious~.

      You can do this. If it means giving your kids a happy, stable home where they can feel loved and relaxed because ~you~ feel loved and relaxed, then you can do most anything. Small kids are a lot of work without question, but they get older so fast and your job becomes less hands-on when they get into the older kids/tween/teen years. My daughter is 14 now, and apparently my biggest advantage these days is that I can drive her where she wants to go. :)

  84. dumblewald*

    For those who only feed themselves, how much do you typically spend on food/groceries per week?

    I’m trying to get better at managing my money plus eating more home-cooked foods than eating out. I track my purchases through the Mint app, and as it stands, my overall budgeting is fine. I spend below my means – pretty much the only frivolous purchases I make is indulging in eating out a lot, which is a bit of a wallet suck. I live in a city where both tempting takeout and delivery options are endless!

    As it currently stands, I would say that per week, I eat home cooked meals 50% of the time and takeout/delivery the other 50% of the time. I spend about $20-30 on groceries per week. I would say the amount I spend on eating out/delivery amounts to about $50 per week. I spend $140 in the month of March on eating out alone!

    1. fposte*

      More than you :-). I don’t live in a good eating-out town so I don’t spend much on that, but I like cooking and I grocery shop indulgently. Combined budget for both eating out and groceries is a little over $500 monthly. Groceries include some non-food items like cleaning supplies and garbage bags, too, but not a lot more, and it hardly ever includes booze (like a bottle a year, maybe); I just choose other areas to do my economizing in.

      1. Not So NewReader*

        I am probably in the same range. But I don’t think I am indulgent when I shop. I have a list and I count portions as I toss stuff in the cart. The only thing that is extra is the home cooked meals I do for my dog. I might spend 15-20 less a week without that, but then I would have to buy dog food and that can get really spendy.
        I keep watching the prices jump. Within the last month or two it seems like paper towels doubled in price. I guess they think our wallets are bottomless.

    2. Lady Jay*

      On groceries plus non-food items (paper towels, tp, toothpaste, etc), I spent $30-40/week, maybe $50 if it’s the beginning of my pay cycle and I’m restocking or feeling rich. Eating out expenses vary wildly: one month I’ll get pizza twice at $15+ bucks a pop; one month I’ll get a pastry from a local coffee place and that’s it. I purchase wine and the occasional treat (candy coated pretzels, anyone?) under my “miscellaneous” budget, and I have a separate line for makeup.

      This is a really useful (and encouraging!) thread. One of my work acquaintances claims she spends $40/MONTH on groceries (we live in a city in the Southeast) and I have no idea how she does it. I’m over here feeling frivolous if I spend over $150/month in groceries.

      1. dumblewald*

        $40/month how??! I mean, that’s probably how much I spent in college, but I lived in a cheaper city and ate unhealthy instant noodles, peanut butter sandwiches, and frozen dinners – NOT nutritious.

        I watch a lot of food related videos on YouTube and always see these videos titled “$2 meals!” I live in an expensive city and don’t think I have the mental bandwith to think about how to stretch out a dollar when I can barely get it together to cook. One step at a time!

      2. Parenthetically*

        I call EPIC BS on your work acquaintance, unless she’s literally got, like, scurvy from subsisting on oatmeal and beans and top ramen. If you google “surviving on $50/month for food” you get A LOT of suggestions for food pantries, soup kitchens, SNAP, and WIC, and only then does it start getting into grocery outlet stores and Aldi. I used to feel SUPER proud when I only spent $100/month on groceries as a single person, and even that was really hard and involved baking my own bread and not caring about meat quality.

        1. Lady Jay*

          I think it’s a mix of 1) she goes without stuff that I wouldn’t consider unless I was literally missing bills, etc (cream for coffee, yogurt, etc), 2) she doesn’t eat much breakfast, and 3) while her *grocery* bill is low, I’m pretty sure she’s got another line item for eating out, special events, etc (I haven’t asked her, because we’re not super close, but she gets supper out at least once a week and likes to bake).

          1. Lady Jay*

            Oh, yeah–she also bakes her own bread & freezes all her veggies, so she doesn’t buy those very frequently. This is all way more work than I want to put into it, so I’m pretty content with my $150/month right now.

    3. Weeping Willow*

      I think I could eat nothing but peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and spend more than $50/week. Maybe I live in a high-cost-of-food area? I also live in a town with few eating out options (and even fewer delivery options). I also love to cook. And I love really good food. I buy organic fruits and veggies at my local co-op. And I get all my meat and fish from an independent fishmonger/butcher. It’s expensive. But I like knowing the seafood I buy is sustainable. And they can practically tell me the name of the cow my steaks came from. I can easily spend $100-150/week on groceries. But I eat really well.

    4. Earthwalker*

      As two in a US area with a fairly low cost of living, we spend $100 or so a week for all the stuff that comes from the grocery (food, TP, detergent, etc.). That’s $50 apiece and we don’t scrimp. That’s a lot easier when you’re older, though, and you’re topping up a full pantry and a freezer. I skip most of the spendy convenience food and make my own. I cook in school lunch lady sizes and freeze what we don’t eat in dinner-sized boxes, which means that even though we’re two small eaters we cut costs by buying the “family sized” bulk bargain packages. When you’re starting with an empty kitchen and buying everything in portions for one it’s hard to make $50 a person go as far.

    5. HannahS*

      Groceries and household goods, I’d say I spend between 30-40 a week, Canadian. Eating out, usually 10-15, depending on the week. I eat a lot of vegetarian stews and stir-fries, which rest on canned beans or tofu for the protein. I eat a lot of eggs. I use cheap produce: kale and bok choi, potatoes, carrots, onions, bananas, frozen fruit. Mostly I shop at low-end grocery store, so I don’t see lots of really beautiful specialty foods and produce. Sometimes I’ll go as a treat and get some gorgeous expensive fruit, but I’m usually happy without it.
      I enjoy cooking, so that helps keep bills low! I eat really well and don’t feel deprived. This is a particularly cheap week ($20), and this what I’ll be eating this week and its relationship to my pantry:
      Spinach, cheese, green onion quiche with potato crust (spinach and cheese are in the freezer, bought ages ago, eggs are from last week)
      Potato, cauliflower, chickpea curry with rice (sauce is from a packet, rice and chickpeas are in pantry)
      Cucumbers and cottage cheese (cottage cheese is leftover from last week, cucumbers were on sale)
      And then for snacks I have popcorn and cereal. I also bought milk. And some delicious sweet potato crackers, but I already finished those. I might also make pasta mid-week, and I already have a box and some jarred sauce. I might buy some more snack-y stuff midweek. I often get 1 meal a week at synagogue or someone’s house.

    6. Not A Manager*

      Why are you asking? I mean that seriously. You’re not overspending in general, and your main indulgence is eating out. If you like that and it’s worth it to you, it’s certainly not “wrong” to just keep doing it.

      If you want to eat more home-cooked meals for some reason other than eliminating your one indulgence, then you might or might not find that you save money overall. I find it hard to motivate myself to cook for one person, so a lot of times when I’m alone my raw materials go to waste because I procrastinate using them. Also, even if you’re not buying Costco sizes, just regular packaging can be a lot for one person to use up before it goes bad or before you get completely sick of it. Some things freeze well, but some things don’t.

      That’s not to say that you can’t do it, just don’t get impatient if it takes a while to find a rhythm for cooking for yourself.

      1. dumblewald*

        I was asking to see if I was spending too much. I’m glad to hear that I’m not! I never really learned how to budget, so I wanted to see what other adults did. I’m also probably comparing myself to my more scrappy friends. One of my friends barely ever eats out and always cooks both cheap and healthy. She has good organizational/planning skills, though. I’m a decent cook, but generally lazy and not motivated to cook. I was also wondering if I would save any more by buying more grocery food and cooking on my own compared to takeout. But I feel like if I eat at home half the time, it doesn’t make much difference?

        One non-financial thing I am worried about regarding my delivery habit is the amount of waste it produces in terms of plastic used and gas. I think I’m going to try an eliminate delivery from my habits and stick to takeout and dining in.

        1. fposte*

          I think Not a Manager’s point is that you can spend more than everybody else in the world on food and it still doesn’t mean that you’re spending too much. It’s about your budget, not any community standard. If you’re buying what you can afford and not throwing it away (much), then you can reasonably spend $1000 a month on food if you choose, no matter what anybody else spends.

    7. noahwynn*

      Live alone, I spend about $80 a week on groceries but I tend to buy more organic stuff and splurge on some items. I could definitely spend less if I had to.

      I eat lunch out at work at least twice a week, frequently have coffee in the mornings, and generally eat out at least once. Then occasional happy hour with coworkers and nights out with friends. Probably average $100 a week on all that.

    8. AvonLady Barksdale*

      I spend around $100/week on groceries for the two of us, give or take. That includes my weekly trips to the farmers’ market; in the summer I might spend $120 or so because the “good stuff”, like peaches and corn, is pricier. We eat out at least two nights/week and I pack my lunch most days. We spend a lot more on food and drinks out, but it varies quite a bit. I would say we probably spend $500/month on food and drink between us, but I’ve never actually tracked it. It helps that we live in a place where beer is excellent and very cheap. One of our weekly dinners out is at a spot where we get two-for-one pizzas and $3.50 drafts.

      When I lived in NYC, I ate out/ordered in a whooooole lot more (I miss Seamless so much!) but it was pretty cheap, oddly enough. I mean, you could get a whole Indian takeout special for $15 at some places, free delivery.

    9. Kate Daniels*

      I spend between $300-$380 a month. I don’t eat out much, but I am really picky about getting quality eggs and milk (farm fresh and from a local creamery), which means that it costs double or triple the amount of the cheapest kind available.

    10. Little Beans*

      Hmm, I wonder how you all do it? I do live in a high cost of living area, but my grocery budget is $400 a month. I come in under that sometimes, but I definitely go over in other months. The $400 is just for me, I definitely spend more in months where I have company or am hosting events. I will easily spend over $100 just on one dinner if I have a few people over.

    11. Nacho*

      I spend about $20 for a week and a half of dinners, and another $10-15 a week on breakfast, lunch, and snacks. So maybe about a hundred a month total. I tried eating out a few times, but I could never get over how much money I could save by making my own food, so I just kind of stopped. Now I just eat frozen leftovers pretty much every night.

      If you live below your means and eating out makes you happy, go for it. It’s certainly no worse a money sink than a hobby.

    12. Middle School Teacher*

      It depends on the week but I think I average about $50/week on groceries, plus the occasional (maybe 3 times per month) dinner out. My local store has a 15% off on the first Tuesday of the month, so that’s when I stock up. I do lots of batch cooking, and in the other weeks I can usually be around $40. Sometimes I’ll do a Costco blitz but maybe twice a year.

  85. WoodswomanWrites*

    For the first time in forever, I had a date with someone I met online today. He wants to get together again. I don’t. It never gets easier sending that message saying no thank you when there’s a live person with feelings on the other end.

    I do the online thing, go to Meetups, try to generally put myself out there in social situations doing activities I enjoy where I might meet someone. The dating pool has certainly gotten smaller since I hit 60. I still want a partner. I’ll take a break sometimes if I’m finding myself disheartened, and then wade back in as I’m doing now.

    Ugh, dating is hard.

      1. Pow Derffup*

        I can not second this more. There is something so psychologically INFURIATING when a male adult is lying on And kudos for not talking yourself into something you know isn’t right for you, despite the smaller pool!! Best wishes to you!!

        1. Pow Derffup*

          IGNORE THE FIRST PART, it was a started reply upthread.

          And kudos for not talking yourself into something you know isn’t right for you, despite the smaller pool!! Best wishes to you!!

    2. Elizabeth West*

      It is.
      I need to relocate if I’m ever going to date again–there is no one here who isn’t married or college age. (I like younger men but that is ridiculous, LOL.)

      1. Rebecca*

        Here too! My neighbor is a little bit younger than me, divorced, and she and I surmised that if there are any men our age locally who aren’t married, there’s a really good reason why they’re not!

        1. StellaBella*

          In Alaska there is a phrase for women to know: The odds are good, but the goods are odd.

    3. Rebecca*

      I’m glad you went on the date, taking that first step must be difficult. And seconding the others in saying don’t let the other person goad you into something you don’t feel right about.

      1. WoodswomanWrites*

        I’m fortunate that I feel like a complete person on my own. I know there are people for whom being with anyone is better than being alone, and I’m glad that’s not me.

        1. Rebecca*

          I remember someone said this once about being alone: the only thing worse than being alone is wishing you were alone. I think about that sometimes.

  86. Kristi*

    Do y’all wear your wedding ring 24/7 (when you sleep, wash your hands, exercise, etc.)?

    If you take it off, how do you make sure it stays safe?

    1. Rainy*

      I wear my wedding band all the time. I take my engagement ring off to sleep and if I’m doing anything where I don’t want to risk it. I used to put it back in the box but, uh, these days I’m less good about doing that haha. My husband’s wedding band is a little more elaborate than mine and he takes his off to sleep, cook, clean, etc. I have little ring stands in opportune places around the house which he’s a lot better about using than I am. :D

      1. valentine*

        I have little ring stands in opportune places around the house
        Never heard of this. Très adorable.

    2. Lepidoptera*

      I keep my wedding set in our fire safe most of the time. I can’t wear it to work for safety reasons, so I make a point to always put it in the exact same place. It’s either on my finger or in the fire safe, no exceptions.

    3. Nicole76*

      My husband does, but I do not. I don’t really like wearing jewelry, so I only wear my wedding ring outside the house and remove it as soon as I get home. I have a small ceramic elephant ring-holder that sits on my dresser; that’s where my ring lives.

      1. Luisa*

        Same on all counts! I keep mine on a little ceramic dish on a shelf in the bathroom, since that’s where I get dressed and ready for work during the week. I rarely wear it on weekends. (I only have a wedding band.)

    4. WellRed*

      I wear my grandmothers’ (plural) wedding rings and only take them off if they are bothering me (swollen fingers, etc)

    5. The Cosmic Avenger*

      I wear my band 24/7/365 now. I just slip it down to the end of my finger and dry under it when I wash my hands. When I wasn’t wearing it for a while, I just kept it in my dresser drawer.

      1. Lilith*

        I remove my rings a lot — whenever I wash my hands, whenever I prepare food, when I apply lotion, when I go to sleep or hop in the shower. I typically keep them in my jewelry box at home. If I’m helping at someone else’s house, they are placed in my pocket. It’s not ideal. Rings get super gunky tho. Blerg. I don’t clean mine enough.

        1. Rainy*

          Soft toothbrush does wonders if your setting has fiddly bits. No toothpaste though! :)

          1. Lilith*

            Yep, I even have a jar of the pink jewelry cleanser that comes with a brush. I still don’t clean mine frequently enough. I don’t know why. The stones used to get pretty nasty with soaps & lotions & stuff I d don’t want to think about. That was before I decided to remove my rings . An acquaintance whose spouse owns a jewelry store puts her rings in her mouth when she has to wash her hands in a public bathroom. Urg.

    6. Anona*

      I have two ring holders, one by the kitchen sink, and one by the bathroom sink. I put it in one of those as soon as I come home.

    7. Parenthetically*

      I wear my set 24/7. I have a vintage-looking engagement ring — not a sticking-up solitaire, but something with a very low profile — and two shadow bands. They might leave my hand for a cleaning once a month or six weeks, or if I’m doing a manicure and really want to exfoliate, or working in the garden or something. In the latter case, they’d go in a ziplock bag in my night stand, or something like that. I’m super paranoid about losing jewelry, and especially my rings since they’re BY FAR the most valuable thing I own that isn’t property and were designed by my husband.

    8. Lilysparrow*

      I can’t wear mine all the time because my fingers swell sometimes, especially at night. I also get very irritated by jewelry after wearing it all day – sensory irritation, not skin irritation.

      As soon as I get home, it’s shoes off, jewelry off, bra off.

      I have a decorative dish on top of my dresser where my rings & earrings go.

    9. Valancy Snaith*

      My fifth anniversary is at the end of the month and in that time I’ve only had my band off for 24 hours when I was having surgery. It is a plain band with no stones and I never, ever take it off.

      My engagement ring I don’t get to wear much of the time because I can’t wear it at work, and I don’t wear it when exercising, showering, or cleaning. But it hangs on a hook with my other jewelry, next to my husband’s wedding band, which he doesn’t wear because he can’t wear rings at work and doesn’t like wearing them anyhow.

    10. ThatGirl*

      I was much thinner when we got married (11 years ago) so the sad truth is that my band and engagement rings don’t fit me right now. I wear an antique engagement ring that was my husband’s great grandmother’s instead. But the answer is the same — I take it off to wash my hands, exercise, at night, in the shower, anywhere my hands might swell or get dirty or it’s uncomfortable. It’s a beautiful symbol but it’s just a piece of jewelry ultimately, and I honestly don’t quite understand the never ever take it off crowd. But then, my parents didn’t even get wedding bands until they’d been married 20 years.

      1. The Cosmic Avenger*

        Honestly, it’s just easier for me not to remove it, since when I do I often forget where I put it. I get very sweaty, but not on my hands, for some reason. The band is flat on the inside and slightly convex on the outside, so the only time it would be uncomfortable would be if I was moving a lot of REALLY heavy objects, in which case I might take it off temporarily.

        You know for plain bands it’s pretty cheap and easy to have them resized a little larger; jewelers have the equipment to basically stretch them. I used to work at a mall across from a jeweler’s, so we talked a lot when it was slow, and I had my wedding band enlarged by that jeweler. Back in the 90s I think I paid $10 for it.

        1. ThatGirl*

          I have been meaning to get both resized, though the band isn’t a plain one, it’s got a channel and small diamond at the top. But I think it could still be done.

      2. Parenthetically*

        I don’t not take my rings off on principle or anything, I’m just used to them and it’s easier for them to stay on than for me to be forever worried I’ll set them down somewhere and my kid decide to eat them or something. I’m not trying to make a statement about symbols. :)

        1. Rainy*

          Same. It’s not like an ear tag marking me as my husband’s or anything, haha! My wedding band is really comfortable and simple and fits well, so no real reason to take it off unless I’m using cleaners that will damage the silver or whatever.

          My engagement ring is high profile (large centre stone, basket setting, fiddly bits in the setting including stones etc) so I don’t wear it for anything really dirty. It’s the last thing I put on before I leave the house and the first thing I take off (with my other rings–I wear several) when I come home.

        2. ThatGirl*

          Then that’s not really what I’m talking about, I’m talking about people who are downright superstitious about it. :)

    11. Beatrice*

      I take mine off for doing dishes, other cleaning, and anytime I’m doing messy things with my hands. And I have sensitive skin and sometimes get rashes on my hands from soaps, and I tend to leave the rings off for a while when that happens. I leave them in my bathroom cabinet or on a shelf next to my kitchen sink.

    12. Penelope Garcia’s glasses*

      I have a cute little ring dish I put my rings on at night. I don’t like to sleep in them.

    13. Lcsa99*

      I wear both of mine almost completely 24/7. Same with my husband. The only time we don’t wear our rings is in the kitchen when we’re doing something that would make them gross like making bread or coating chicken, etc. In those cases we have a little porcelain box on the counter (that used to be my grandmothers) and we keep them there, then put them back on immediately after.

    14. Aerin*

      I take mine off a fair amount: showering/swimming, baking, painting, that sort of thing. Anything that might get them gross or damaged, or that might risk losing them. (I’m really paranoid about that.)

      When we were engaged I got a chain to put my ring on during painting class. If I forgot to take it off before class, I’d tuck it into the coin pocket of my jeans so it would be secure. The cake topper for our wedding was a little Lenox treasure box, so the rings go in there when I’m not wearing them.

      1. Rainy*

        The cake topper for our wedding was a little Lenox treasure box

        Oh that’s so sweet! I love it. :)

    15. Grandma Mazur*

      I wear my wedding ring all the time. I don’t have an engagement ring, but I do wear a small silver chain necklace for the same symbolic reason, so when I have to take my wedding ring off for any reason, I slip it onto the chain.

      My husband takes his off at the drop of a hat (cooking, jogging, washing up, all DIY…). He leaves it on a shelf in the kitchen. I think this is insanely risky as he knows I can lose anything (I’ve knocked it off a few times while reaching for the teabag tin).

    16. Searching*

      I wear mine pretty much 24/7, except for certain sports where it is a safety hazard (don’t want to deglove my finger), and certain cooking activities where it would get too filthy. During those sports activities, I put it in a zippered pocket.

  87. Missy*

    I think Crazy Ex Girlfriend is AMAZING. I don’t know why nobody watches it (anyone here)???? I feel like in 10 years it’ll come back as a cult classic.

    1. fposte*

      I know a lot of people who love it. I think it got more press in its first couple of years, and some people put it on hold in expectation of coming back to binge watch when it’s finished.

      (I haven’t watched the last episode yet so I’ll probably bow out of this thread until I do, just in case of spoilers.)

    2. The Cosmic Avenger*

      I loved the whole thing, and I’m really sad that it’s over, although it made sense to end it the way they ended it, and that’s all I can say about that without giving any spoilers!

      1. TL -*

        I’m watching the last episode and liking it more than I thought I would! Crazy ex is one of my favorite shows.

    5. Perpetua*

      I’m right there with you – it is WONDERFUL. Absolutely beautiful and awesome and just…full of life, even when it’s over the top. I’m happy that this shows exists and that they were able to tell the whole story (not Rebecca’s whole story, just the show’s whole story :) ).

    6. Interrodroid3000*

      I love it so much! Going to watch the last episode now, and I am so sad it’s ending. But I think you’re right, this is going to become a cult thing in the future.

  88. Cheesesteak in Paradise*

    Gardening!

    Anyone getting started?

    Today I added compost and rolled my 3 small raised beds and large containers on my deck. I direct sowed seeds for spinach, early lettuce, and peas. I may start some brassicas seeds tomorrow (cabbage, broccoli, kale and cauliflower) under covers. I’m in zone 6 or 5b depending on global warming.

    I only really get excited about vegetable gardening – flowers are nice but I love my kitchen garden.

    Anyone else? I’m a newbie (2nd year) so hoping to continue to get better – design, yields etc.

    2. The Other Dawn*

      I started raised beds a couple years ago and I’m so glad I did! They’re much more manageable for me. I only do veggies in them.

      I have a flower garden that was here when I moved in and I finally decided to pay someone to come in a level it. I want to get it to a point where I can start from scratch. I’m not a gardener by nature, so I really want something that will be easy for me to maintain. The garden that’s here now has a lot of grass in it, and there are vines growing up into the bushes, which makes it really difficult to manage. It sucks that I’ll lose a bunch of things I’ve planted over the last three years, but I don’t want to deal with it anymore. To top it off, there’s a Tree of Heaven growing right up in the middle of it and the damn thing just keeps coming back!

    3. Blue wall*

      Ah yes! I’m going to do some container gardening- new apartment has glorious south sun in the back. I’m in zone 7(b?). Bought some tomato starts at a plant sale last weekend; I think I’ll take them home with me over Passover and then plant them outdoors at the end of the month!! Cannot wait. Got 8’ stakes; now to figure out how to get them in our clay soil!

    4. Rainy*

      We have a little balcony and I can usually fit flowers and herbs, and a tomato or two. I’m trying strawberries again this year, so we’ll see how that goes.

    5. Lilysparrow*

      I sowed lettuce & Hardy greens in late January, but it was particularly wet and the slugs got them as soon as they were well sprouted.

      So I restarted them a couple of weeks ago and they are about 1/2 inch now. Also sowed carrots, green beans, and a lot of herbs and flowers to repel pests.

      In a couple of weeks it will be time to start squash, tomatoes, okra, etc. In the meantime, I’m working on some ornamentals for the front yard. I really want to develop cottage-style borders, but we need more anchor shrubs and hardscape, and we’re on a tight budget. I’m collecting cuttings to root for different kinds of dwarf evergreens to create some structure.

      We’re in 7b/8.

    6. Elizabeth West*

      Nope, it’s too early yet. I learned the hard way not to plant anything before May. And then it will only be tomatoes in pots, which I can take with me to an apartment if I have to move.

      Speaking of which, last year, they got incredibly leggy and vinelike–is there a way to prevent that and keep them shorter and more bushy, like pinching them off or something? I wouldn’t be able to use a trellis if I no longer have a backyard. For reference, I was growing heirlooms–German Queen, Cherokee Purple, and Golden Jubilee. I’ll probably do the latter two this year since I enjoyed them the most.

      1. Cheesesteak in Paradise*

        There’s two kinds of tomato plants – determinant and indeterminant.

        Determinant make all their fruit at one time and the plant doesn’t keep growing.

        Most indeterminants fruit all season and constantly grow until they are 8 feet tall and fall over. You can hard prune off the growing top and side shoots (called suckers) to reduce this and make better airflow around the plant (tomato plants susceptible to fungus!)

        However, if you want them in containers and smaller, maybe you’d be happy with determinant varieties? Those tend to be the kind you can buy at Home Depot rather than heirloom varieties.

        1. Elizabeth West*

          Hmmm.

          I bought the heirloom plants at Walmart and grew them in containers–they just got so tall. Pruning might help. I could hang onto my metal trellis and get a rectangular pot and just stick it in the pot. If I only had two plants, there’d be room for them to climb. That would probably fit on an apartment balcony or patio, or even in a sunny corner inside if I had to move.

          Seriously, the Cherokee Purple is probably the tastiest tomato I’ve ever eaten. The Golden Jubilee makes the prettiest soup ever. I don’t want a boring old red tomato!

          1. Rainy*

            I pinched my big container tomatoes. Heirloom varieties are almost always indeterminate so you need to pinch. Choose a height and pinch the centre stem when it gets there. This can (tomato gods willing) encourage a more bushy final form than a leggy one but you have to pay attention so that you’re shaping it how you want it to be.

            I grow cherry tomatoes as well, as I find they really thrive in containers and tend to produce well. Brown berry has always been my favourite though I’m trying a new variety this year.

    7. SAHM*

      Weeded and mowed today! Been working on weeding my back fence and planting daisies and dahlias. I prefer veggies too but I have a two year old who LOVES flowers. I also dug out my five rosebushes and moved them to the front yard in February bc she LOVES flowers and is not afraid of the thorns. *facepalm* Ah well. The kiddos starred seeds last week so I’m anxiously waiting for them to start sprouting.

      1. Cheesesteak in Paradise*

        I love flowers too but I only have so much gardening bandwidth in time and energy… if a fairy godmother transformed the rest of my yard into a flowering paradise I would be so happy. But my time and my lower back can only take so much… heh heh.

        1. SAHM*

          I feel you. Today I’m just zoning out inside even though it’s a gorgeous day outside.

    8. Red Reader the Adulting Fairy*

      I haven’t been doing any intentional gardening, but the last two years, my front landscaping got invaded by a dozen surprise cherry tomato plants, and I’m kinda hoping that happens again :) Right now, there’s a handful of small clumps, plus one mass the size of my head, of wild green onions in my tulip bed. Heh. We were joking that tomatoes two years ago, tomatoes and onions last year, all we need this year is surprise peppers and I can start making salsa and spaghetti sauce out of the tulip bed. :)

    9. Parenthetically*

      I’ve got to get my lettuces and things sown! Zone 6a here, so I’ve got to get on the ball. We have a few containers for the first time — not much of a “garden” but we can at least throw some salad greens and tomato plants in. I wonder if I could do peas or beans in containers?

      1. Cheesesteak in Paradise*

        I think both would work in containers as long as you put in something for it to grow up like a tripod. I don’t think the root system is extensive so you just would need something for it to climb.

  89. TL -*

    There is a woman in my social circle (basically my grad school department) who is nice and interesting but who interrupts constantly and will not allow herself to be interrupted. Last week she held her hand up in someone’s face when he tried to interject at the end of a sentence. I asked her if she had really done that and she says she was tired of men interrupting her.
    She interrupts people constantly and this particular man doesn’t habitually speak over people and does try to make sure people can finish talking if they do get interrupted. It is generally agreed upon that she struggles with social things but that’s normally not a problem – I’m pretty direct and can generally ask for social niceties pretty bluntly.
    Not sure how to address this one – usually when someone interrupts me I just ask them if I can finish but if you try to interrupt her (even after she’s interrupted you) she just talks louder and more aggressively until you stop talking. I could have a quick talk with her after she’s done with her talk but that feels like it would be a bigger picture talk rather than an addressing things in the moment, which feels more right for our level of friendship.

    1. WellRed*

      So, I am waiting for the part where it’s clear what makes her nice or interesting? Cause I think she sounds rude and boorish.

    2. fposte*

      She who lives by the hand sign dies by the hand sign. “Dude, you’re interrupting again–don’t take other people’s turns.”

      1. TL -*

        Oh I would but it can take a minute or more for her to finish when she’s interrupted someone. Maybe I just need to wait her out and then redirect back to the interrupting.

        1. Myrin*

          That sounds like it could be fruitful. I hear you on how it might not be 100% in line with your “level of friendship” but I feel like it might be warranted in this case anyway.

          1. TL -*

            I’m thinking of waiting until the next time she does it with just me, then maybe asking “Hey, are you aware of how often you’re interrupting me? I know it can be difficult to tell if someone has just paused or actually finished, so if you could wait a little bit extra to make sure I’m done instead of pausing, I’d really appreciate it.”

            1. fposte*

              What about, in that conversation, trying to enlist her as an ally in the process? “How do you want me to alert you in the future that you’re interrupting?” Do you think she might go for that?

    3. Chi chan*

      You could record a class so you can prove that she interrupted you first. That is the issue isn’t it? She thinks only she gets interrupted.

      1. TL -*

        No classes or I’d ask the professor to step in; mainly social interactions. That seems like a needlessly aggressive approach – I don’t mind being blunt but I’m hoping to minimize the embarrassment on her end.

        1. Not So NewReader*

          Needlessly aggressive??? She put her hand in someone’s face. That is so rude. No need to put up with that.
          Decide how much more of this you will do before you plan your intervention. She has no intention of getting better on her own.

          1. TL -*

            Oh I did call her out on that and I said that she needed to trust that dude would let her talk.
            I do genuinely get the sense that this is from social ineptitude not maliciousness. She’s an international student (American) in our small department, so I do want to say something to her.

    4. Sam Sepiol*

      Two options:
      Ignore the interruption. Keep on talking at normal volume of she’s interrupted you; or keep listening/looking expectantly at the person she interrupted.
      Walk away whenever she does it.

      1. TL -*

        I’ve tried the first and it does not work. I’m not really sure she gets nonverbal cues, so I do want to use my words instead of escalating nonverbal cues – if she doesn’t understand, it’ll just be confusing/cruel of me to punish her for no apparent reason.

        1. valentine*

          There’s no good reason for her to shout you down. (I think you would’ve said if you are somewhere where people pause for a solid minute or more, in case she’s a three-second East Coaster (#shoutout to the best coast) who thinks everyone is interrupting her all the time.)

          What if you make the timeout T when she interrupts you, say, “You interrupted me,” keep the T up until she stops and you’ve repeated, “You interrupted me.” Then count and tell her what the count is. Give her two or three strikes, whichever you can even stand at this point. Not sure why you want to hang out with her.

          1. TL -*

            Oh, I’m a fast talker, like notably fast – we have a slow talking professor who has had some interesting interactions with her (but professor can handle herself).

            I might try the T sign but you really can’t interrupt her when she’s talking so I don’t have much hope for anything in the moment.

    5. Koala dreams*

      It seems like you have tried to react in the moment by interrupting her back, so I think the next step would be to talk before/after the meeting just the two of you and mention her habit of interrupting people. Sometimes people are more receptive if you wait until a calmer moment, so it’s worth a try.

      You could also try to match her rude style and say something similar: “I’m tired of you interrupting people.” She will probably be annoyed, but maybe it will get through to her when polite re-directions won’t.

      1. Koala dreams*

        PS. After posting I realize I make it sound like the important thing is her understanding, but that’s not what I meant. Rather, the important thing is making clear that you won’t accept her interrupting people and that she has to stop. She can feel sad or annoyed by this “rule”, but that’s not really your problem.

        Thanks you for standing up for your more timid colleagues!

        1. TL -*

          He’s not timid at all! I’m not sure he knew how to deal in the moment, honestly.

          I actually don’t mind interrupting as a conversational style – grew up in a family where that was the norm so I had to learn the not-interrupt style. I do mind that she interrupts but won’t let herself be interrupted; that’s what I find frustrating.

  90. DietCokeHead*

    Project Runway! I just watched the latest episode – Survive in Style – and I have thoughts!

    1. DietCokeHead*

      I’m so sad Afa is gone. I know his design wasn’t great but I thought Kovid’s was worse. Also, Kovid is starting to get on my nerves a little bit. He seems just a little to aware of the cameras.

      I laughed at how the previews made it look like there would be drama with Hester’s pile of supplies and it actually ended up being “hey, someone took my supplies.” “Oh, we’re sorry, we didn’t realize it was your pile. Here, let us give you what we took”

      I do like how the models are treated. I thought giving Afa’s model blankets was nice. Also, she is fierce! I don’t know how they are cutting the models but I hope she sticks around for a long time.

      I’m glad Renee won. I liked her design and she really thought about the survival aspect.

      1. Daisychain*

        Oh I agree! I am so glad Renee won, I think she was the one who most addressed the survival aspect. I kind of liked Kovid’s pants but would not have been sorry if that design sent him home. In what universe was that top functional?! He is getting to be a bit much. I was sorry to see Afa go, he seemed like such a nice person and I wanted to see more from him.
        I am happy that so far, there isn’t much drama among the designers, they seem to respect each other’s talent. Thank goodness they gave blankets to the models, I was freezing watching them! Looking forward to next week!

  91. WellRed*

    My dad would have turned 77 today. Saw a rare red cardinal outside my window this morning, which bird for some reason both mom and I have come to see as a sign. Good thoughts to all of you suffering loss both recent and far removed.

    1. Not So NewReader*

      My friend watches birds for the same reasons. Owls have his mom’s messages. Other birds also send messages but they are just part of the universe. I approached this one with caution because I don’t have any experience here. One day my friend and I were on a road trip. A hawk flew over head slowly. I asked my friend what that meant. He said it meant I should slow down.
      It was a clear day with dry roads, but it was COLD. Imagine my surprise minutes later when I went through a curve and saw the road was covered with GLARE ICE. The mist off the river near by had coated the road and frozen. Fortunately, I had already slowed down so we were prepared for this hazard and we were fine. Thank you, universe.

    2. beaded*

      Just passed the 5-month mark of my dad’s passing away. Still find it hard to believe I will never hear his voice again, never hear his advice, never hear him gripe. Some days are better some days are worse.

    3. ShortT*

      (((WellRed)))

      My dad died in May 2015. He would have been 77 this past February.

      My mom and I are cordial, at best. I still miss my dad. He was more like my beat friend than my dad.

    4. Jen Erik*

      We have a dove: my mum in her last couple of years spent a lot of time in the garden picking up sticks – she felt it was something useful she could still do – inevitably wearing one or the other of her soft grey cardigans. Shortly after she died a grey dove arrived in the garden and just started pootling around, picking up twigs.
      It’s not exactly that we attribute meaning to the bird, but it is still somehow really comforting. (Though we have a very huntin’, shootin’, fishin’ kind of cat, and I spent a good deal of time through the summer worrying that there’d be an unfortunate encounter…)
      Anyway, last month, when we got to the last of the firsts, the anniversary of her passing, I looked out the kitchen window, and the dove had arrived back. It is a bird with the most perfect timing.
      Thanks for the good thoughts: I wish you and your mum the same.

  92. Kristi*

    I was inspired to take a break from social media and screen time. I have a lot of extra time now though and I get anxious about knowing how to fill it! What do you recommend?

    1. Dr. Anonymous*

      Sewing, reading books, cleaning, walking outside, trying a new sport, singing songs, playing an instrument, writing paper letters to people you care about, ironing things you keep meaning to iron, walking around your house and making a list of things that bug you and fixing them…I could go on all day! But I have too much screen time so I’m too busy!

      1. Parenthetically*

        Yes! We have a “just do the damn thing” list to fill evenings with something other than TV watching! It’s a lot of clothes mending — sewing up a split seam, replacing a button, etc.

    2. Kate Daniels*

      I’ve been working on trying to make as many foods as I can from scratch! This also comes with the added benefit of the food being tastier and healthier and also saving me a bit of money (making my own bread = game changer).

    3. HannahS*

      In addition to the above, go for a walk outside, go to the gym/for a swim, search out free events in your area (or go to a museum/gallery/concert), cook/bake, take up a craft, redecorate your place, go to the library and read some magazines and get a book, start a garden…and you can listen to podcasts/audio books, too. I find that because I live alone, I like to have something going in the background.

  93. noahwynn*

    My pets are bothering me today. For some reason both the beagle pup and the cat are being extra clingy. I love them but they’re following me around the house, even sat at the bathroom door waiting for me earlier. I’m on the couch now with both laying across me.

    Nothing abnormal going on. I wasn’t out of town this week or anything. Neither one seems sick. Normally they’re affectionate but spend most of the day playing with each other or sleeping. Today they want all the attention. I took the dog for a walk earlier and came home to the cat crying looking for us both.

      1. valentine*

        Poor kitty! Do you feel under the weather or sad and they are cheering you up in objectively the best way?

    2. ATX Language Learner*

      That’s super cute! My dogs can get annoying as well but I do love it when they just want to be around me. Your animals love you and they won’t always be here so you should cherish those moments and surrender to the cling!

    3. Jane of all Trades*

      I sympathize! My cats are both getting more clingy with age. They’re both six now and quite needy. I do love that they are very affectionate, but there have been days recently when I get home from a very long day and they are both so needy that it gets overwhelming (they get a ton of love, and get playtime and cuddle time and so on, so they’re well taken care of. They just get needy sometimes)

  94. Waffles*

    Late to the game on this one, but if anyone has advice, I’d greatly appreciate it.

    My youngest sister has anxiety. Like full blown panic attacks at least once a month and lots of stress about relatively* small things in between. She was admitted to a children’s psychiatric hospital Monday. When I talked to her earlier today, she said they are planning on releasing her Monday, so a week after she was admitted.

    Any suggestions on how to support her would be appreciated. I treat her like an equal, she is going through the same troubles with the parents that I did when I was younger – looking back now, I had a total breakdown one night, but mental health wasn’t a really a thing for kids back then (I’m 29, she’s about to turn 15), so it was blown off as an over reaction. I also had my brother, who had other health issues as well as some other things come up that weren’t his fault, to act as a buffer. They couldn’t focus all their time on me because they had to focus on him. I was able to self manage, not always in the healthiest of ways, but I got by. She’s the youngest, so all their attention is focused on her. I am also half way across the country from her. So anything I do is from a distance.

    We actively chat on Snapchat (so the parents can’t go back and read it) about what she’s going through. But the hospitalized caught me by surprise. And I only have my suspicions on why she’s in, as I don’t feel like a conversation with the parents will be productive to her healing – I fear saying things to them about the cause of all this that will make it worse.

    I’ve called her almost every day (missed one because I was sick). She sounds ok, and we (joking/not joking) sent up a safe code phrase in case things there were not good, and she hasn’t used it (I ask each time a question that this phrase would be a reasonable answer to).

    I’m planning on taking a couple of days in June or July to get her out of the house to let her truly relax.

    But besides that, and listening to what she is saying, I’m not sure on how to help her.

    1. Not A Manager*

      Have you asked her? Not being snarky. Depending on her maturity and her mental state, she might have a pretty good idea of what she needs from you.

      1. Waffles*

        I have not. Because she’s still in the hospital, I fear that she’ll feel like she’ll have to down play every thing in case someone is listening in. Every time I call her every thing is “pretty ok”

        As soon as she gets out I plan on asking her what she needs. But, if she’s like me, she may not know what she needs.

        1. Not A Manager*

          She’ll be out of the hospital soon. I hope that your parents don’t listen in on her calls with you, although apparently they read her texts. If you can communicate privately sometime next week, that’s a good time to ask her. You could also make some suggests that you know you can commit to – weekly phone calls, advocating to the parents if she wants you to, helping her self-advocate, etc.

          The vacation away sounds like a great idea, and it gives her something to look forward to when she’s feeling bleak.

          1. valentine*

            We actively chat on Snapchat (so the parents can’t go back and read it)
            So they’re “There’s no privacy in our (not your) home/What are you hiding?” people? What other pressures might be on Sis? Given your experience, I am thinking they’re the problem (unless other people live in the home). Is Sis happier in the hospital than at home?

            If you can get her out for a week or more, with you if she would like, or elsewhere, it’ll tell you whether the phone is coming from inside the house, and you’ll be able to consider next steps. Maybe enroll her in a day camp or she can be with other kids while you’re working, unless just literal breathing space would serve her and she’d be fine at home alone. Consider that your parents aren’t the family she needs and think about who, including yourself, might be. Since you called her every day, you sound close and you have probably more influence and power here than you might think. (Or you know and it’s scary?)

            Of they don’t search their room or she has private space somewhere, can you get her a phone your parents/their proxies won’t surveil?

    2. Chi chan*

      Be supportive. She will hopefully have a therapist when she gets out. Maybe she can move out in a year or two and reduce contact with her parents. You might put by some money to help her with that. A deposit for a rented room or studio.

      1. valentine*

        This is a great idea. And look into college scholarships in case they are “We pay; you do what we say” people.

    3. KR*

      If you can get her out of the house and with you for some time this summer I’m sure that would be great. It sounds like she really feels close to you and some distance will probably make her feel better. I think a lot of times when teens/kids are sick and experiencing mental health problems it can feel like they’re in trouble or because they’re sick they lose control of their illness and the situation because the parents are just so concerned about them. Some time with someone who treats her like in adult and give her space to think would probably make her feel better. A lot of the people she sees everyday are probably on her case about how she’s ~feeling~ so maybe asking her about things not related to her health could be helpful. But asking is the best thing of course. You sound like a great sister.

    4. Boarding school saved me*

      This is just a thought/idea/suggestion — I don’t know if it’s an option for your sister. I went through a lot of parental/family dysfunction at ages 12-15 — what saved me was boarding school! My mom never thought she could afford it, but a boarding school recruiter came to my school, and I was able to get an almost-full scholarship.
      I don’t know if that is something your parents would consider. I went away when I was 15, for the latter 3 years of high school, and would not be a functioning adult if I hadn’t gone away to boarding school. It was hard at first, and I was homesick, but I am forever grateful for the opportunity.
      Maybe if she can’t go away to school, perhaps there is a summer residential teen program, like camp or counselors-in-training or something like that? Maybe do a little online research — many programs have scholarships. There may even be summer programs for teens suffering from anxiety, who knows.
      It sounds like you have the impression that a big part of your sister’s struggles are due to your parents, so perhaps getting aways from them for even a summer program would be helpful to her.

    5. Observer*

      Your sister is of an age where her therapist (of she has one going forward) is probably bound to not discuss her therapy / treatment with her parents, without her explicit permission. The flip side of that is that she can allow you to talk to the therapist without your parents knowing.

      She should be aware of that for two reasons. Firstly, that probably means that even in the hospital, she can speak without worrying about what they tell your parents, as long as she lets staff know. Also this way perhaps you could have a conversation now and then about what you can do to be helpful.

  95. Flash Bristow*

    Hello, all. So. Um. For about 6 months now I’ve been having partial seizures (which are just starting to get investigated – I’m in the UK and hence subject to NHS waiting lists, although the care is excellent when you do get it.

    This week I had my first full on tonic-clonic seizure. Luckily I had my PA with me, as I bit my tongue and she stopped me from choking on the blood, and called paramedics.

    Anyway, although I don’t recall much, it’s been a fairly frightening week. Friends have rallied round to keep me company, and by coincidence my annual care review from the council is tomorrow (I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome which causes dislocating joints, vomiting, fatigue and other fun things) and I’m hoping to be assigned more care hours so someone can be here to keep me safe while husband is at work.

    But anyway, my comment / question is really to ask for advice from anyone who has been through this. How did you get through the feeling that this is Terribly Frightening? I’m still scared to get out of bed without someone here to hear if I fit again. I’m really scared. Help?

    Thanks, and sorry to bother you all.

    1. Myrin*

      Friend, I’m sure I’m speaking for everyone here when I say you’re not a bother!
      I don’t have any experience with this whatsoever so I can’t add anything of substance but I totally understand why this is Terribly Frightening to you (chocking on blood? My god!) and I’m wishing you all the best from the bottom of my heart.

    2. Not So NewReader*

      You may want to consider a service dog, if available where you are. I read a story that captured my heart. A lady had a service dog for her seizures. She got set up with a system and a dog. When the EMTs arrived, they eventually pieced together what happened. The lady went into seizure and blacked out. The dog dialed 911. There was a button on the phone and he was taught to push it. The 911 operator did not quite understand that a dog dialed, but since no one answered her she sent help. The police arrived and the dog had been trained to open the door for people in uniform. The dog pushed a button with his nose and unlocked the door. The dog gestured “this way, this way”, the police followed the dog to the kitchen where the lady was laying on the floor. Somehow the dog had used its nose to push her over into the recovery position.

      Yeah, the dog went to the hospital with the lady. Everyone involved thought it was important for the dog to see the lady was doing better and people were helping.

      I don’t know but maybe this is something for you to consider? It is one way that you would never be totally alone.

      1. Flash Bristow*

        I have a golden doodle who I have trained to assist :) unfortunately although his breeder was very strict about genetic testing, he has knee dislocation problems of his own and has surgery booked very soon (in fact he’d’ve had it if I hadn’t been taken ill…)

        But he is absolutely amazing, we are totally bonded, he will do anything for me (including fetching many items by name, helping me stand when I fall, etc) and he should be ok by midsummer, fingers crossed…

    3. ATX Language Learner*

      Is CBD legal in the UK? If so, I recommend trying it! I have read many success stories with CBD and people who have seizures.

      1. Flash Bristow*

        I’m already a keen cbd caper, I get it through Amazon – helps with my pain. Didn’t know it could help with seizures too – I’ll investigate! Thank you very much.

        1. ATX Language Learner*

          Not sure if they ship to UK but I recommend this brand – Onyx and Rose.

    4. Scandinavian in Scandinavia*

      Sending my warmest thoughts and hopes for you in what you are facing! If you are not already in a support group for people with seizures IRL or oblibe, maybe a patient organization could guide you to one, so you could talk to others who have had to handle something like that. Hoping for a support animal for you, but there would be a waiting list for that, too. Best wishes from across the North Sea!

      1. Flash Bristow*

        Thank you! Hadn’t even thought about a support group, sounds obvious now you say it. The only trouble is being well enough to leave the house; ironically I’ve had to cancel a lot of medical appts because I wasn’t well enough to go to them… but I will look into it, and thank you so much for the suggestion.

        Btw, I adore Scandinavia. It’s probably not so exciting when you live there? but hi! And I hope you’re enjoying the auroras at the moment – we are getting them to a limited extent in the UK so I imagine you have quite a show!

    5. Ewesername*

      Pay attention to how you’re feeling. After you’ve had a few, you’ll notice you have symptoms prior to having one. My feet tingle and my head feels like it’s full of wool. I have friends a can call to tell them I’m having a shaky day. They will organize themselves to come over so that I’m not alone.
      If you’re scared, that’s okay! Let people know. Get lots of rest and take care of yourself.

      1. Flash Bristow*

        Oh, I get aurae, I’m aware of that – and they were much stronger before the tonic-clonic, though I usually get warning before the partials. I manage to gibber at someone that I need help. Usually. Otherwise I can spend hours just lying there, looking at my phone and not knowing what to do with it… it’s a very short time. If I wake up in that state I’m screwed.

        I do appreciate what you’re saying and I’m trying to work out if there are any more foolproof ways to get help as needed. I’ve briefed 3 local friends who each have keys to my house, and I’m just trying to work out the options. I’m not getting out of bed during the day while husband is at work because I don’t feel safe unattended.

        Thank you for saying it’s OK to be scared. You see people on TV all the time, ten year olds coping “bravely” with cancer or other conditions, and I feel like an idiot. But I really am scared – especially of letting people down.

        Thanks again for your comment. Appreciated a lot.

  97. Rebecca*

    This is a very tough time of the year for me. On Monday, April 10, 2017, I took my Dad for a liver biopsy. On April 13, we got the results (as suspected, pancreatic cancer spread into the liver and spleen), and just after midnight on Easter Sunday, April 16, Dad passed away. I’m still stunned that someone can go from working in his shop every day, at 82 years old, to dying from cancer in 6 weeks. I still miss him every single day.

    At the same time, I see how far I’ve progressed in 2 years, and that gives me hope. I feel like Dad is still with me and I love finding little reminders here in the house. Every so often I stumble upon something, like writing in odd places – above where I hang my coats, and where he hung his coats, in the basement laundry area. I noticed one day there was some sort of writing, so I got a flashlight, and sure enough, in Dad’s block-y print, dates from the 1970’s, prices, and another number – he was keeping track of furnace fuel oil! So cool! I’ve found other things, too, so I’m taking photographs so when the house is no more, and the next owners gut it and cover everything up, I will still have those little reminders.

    I’ve decided on a few things I want to keep, the chair he always sat in to change in and out of his work boots, the homemade boot puller, his pocket knife that he always carried and that I remember from when I was small, his turnout boots and wool socks, little things like that.

    No progress on the Mom front. She insists she wants to move. She can’t decide where. So, she doesn’t have any idea of square footage or what she can take with her. She won’t get rid of anything, or even start to get rid of things. No, Mom, I have zero use for Franciscan Ware Desert Roses China, complete service for 12. It’s going to come down that the decision will be made for her, and she will have to move due to a health issue.

    Other than that, nothing else is happening here. The weather is getting better, and I have a doctor’s appointment on Tuesday. I have been having a lot of leg and knee pain, difficulty getting comfortable to sleep, cramps, etc. so after a ton of blood tests showing nothing of consequence, following up on Tuesday. It’s probably osteoarthritis, but I want to be sure as I know from previous experience sometimes benign things can actually turn out to be not so benign. I know I’ve gained weight, too, but I can’t exercise like I was, due to the pain, stiffness, and cramping, so that’s sort of a catch 22 as well. Ugh.

    Oh, and my cats. I love them so much. They were “fighting” earlier…and now have gone to their respective corners and are back to ignoring each other. I am so grateful I have them in my life.

    1. The Francher Kid*

      The Franciscan Ware Desert Roses china might be worth selling–I saw a service for four on Etsy for $365 and I’ve seen a four piece place setting advertised for $65. A former coworker’s mother collected it and asked any of us who were fond of visiting thrift stores and vintage places to keep any eye out for it.

      1. fposte*

        When you look at the actual sold prices on eBay, they’re not that promising–one sold for $99 and two didn’t get their best offer prices of $220 and $275. It’s also stuff that’s really fiddly to pack, so it takes a lot of time and effort. I wouldn’t take it just to put the effort into selling it.

        1. The Francher Kid*

          Just making the suggestion (using Etsy and eBay examples) that it might be worthwhile to look into selling the dishes when the time comes that it all has to be dealt with, since Rebecca says she does not want them. There might be someone local like my coworker’s mother who’d come and get them, or a local consignment shop that might take them. They’ll have to be packed up anyway, so why not make some money on it? That’s all I was trying to say.

          1. fposte*

            If she’s got the time, sure. But I think it’s important to see how much things actually sell for and not just the prices optimistic sellers are advertising at. And they don’t have to be packed up anyway–when you’re clearing out a house like that, which is what Rebecca’s working toward doing, stuff is mostly likely to end up in a dumpster or an open box on the way to Goodwill, unless you can find an estate-sale person to buy the whole lot and take it off your hands.

            Individual items in an overstuffed or hoarded house may have some resale value, but they’re often not worth that value to single out for the caretakers buried underneath them.

          2. Rebecca*

            I’m hoping that someday someone will want them. We rarely ate off them, and ditto the silver service that goes with them. The few times I remember eating meals with them, Mom fussed and hovered around, worried that someone would chip a plate, or clink their silverware together and scratch it, it was so stressful. Then when we had to wash dishes, each dish, plate, little bowl, etc. had to be washed by itself, placed in the drying rack, where she would hand dry each piece and put it away. It was exhausting and stressful. Me? Just give me whatever Correlle dish is handy and I’ll be happy as long as it holds my food.

            1. fposte*

              If that’s the kind of stuff that’s lying around generally, I’d consider checking out local estate/house sale folks when the time comes to see about a bulk purchase. Maybe I’m projecting, but you sound like you’ve hit your limit on the time you want spend on handling this household, and that would be a way for it to find homes, you and your mom maybe to get a little cash, and be done with it.

              (I like various kinds of nice china things, but one of the great joys of my adulthood is I can put whatever I damn well please in the dishwasher.)

    2. Not So NewReader*

      A year flies by and crawls at the same time, doesn’t it?
      When I went to empty my father’s house he had little labels on everything. It was like he was peering over my shoulder instructing me. I could not find the combination to the safe anywhere. My husband laughed. He reminded me that he (my husband) was the one who broke into the safe in the first place. My father knew we did not need the combination written down for us. (Old safe and the hinge pins were on the outside of the door.)
      You are so right though, these little things can be so oddly reassuring.

      I love that set of dishes. A friend had that set years ago. Her kitchen was a soft pink and white. Then she had the set on display in a hutch. Young me was so very impressed. The salt and pepper shakers really got me. Perhaps you could keep some of them for your own kitchen?

      I hope your solutions for your legs are easy ones and it does not work into a larger process for you.

      1. Rebecca*

        Yes, that’s so accurate! Time flies and crawls by :) I just keep thinking I’ve come so far in just 2 years! Bad things, stressful things, and other stuff has happened, but I’m still here and I’m moving forward!!

    3. WoodswomanWrites*

      Anniversaries for the loss of loved ones can be tough for sure. It sounds like you are also finding joy in the things that keep you connected with your dad.

      Your mother is lucky to have you. I hope you find relief for your pain soon.

    4. Flash Bristow*

      Huge sympathies. My dad died at this time of year too – liver failure, 8 weeks after his 60th birthday, on easter Monday 2011.

      All I can do is offer huge sympathies.

      After his death we drove out onto the hills, it was a gorgeous clear spring day, bluebells everywhere – and now I struggle to view the beautiful bluebell hazes in woodlands nearby.

      I don’t know what to say except that I feel the same at this time of year, and now I’ll be thinking of you and wishing you well. Good luck getting through easter time.

    5. NoLongerYoungButLotsWiser*

      late but sending hug…… exactly 20 years ago for my dad. so glad you are still finding reminders of him… things he’s left for you. no advice, just empathy.
      Glad you have the kitties.

  98. Anonymous for This*

    Hi, all.

    I posted a few months ago about hurting my knee at my friends’ overly-cluttered home. Thank y’all for listening to my venting.

    A few weeks later, they and their children went on a one-week vacation. They gave me a set of keys to the home, so that I could feed the pets (fish). I hadn’t expected the clutter to be even worse. It was.

    Almost one half of the stairway was blocked. And the main living area, where the fish tanks are, looked as if a missile had just landed. There was so much crap on the floor, I tripped four times. After the fourth time, I fished my phone out of my pocket and called my friend, who was waiting in his car outside, to come help me up and out. My already-arthritic knee was sprained and bruised:/

    I ended up telling my friend that her home doesn’t have to look like a museum, but that it does have to be safe, if she wants me to visit. I told her that the stairway needs to be clear and that one shouldn’t have to lunge over clutter, in order to reach a seat. She promised to do that. I offered to pay for a cleaning lady to visit and to pay for a quarter of the cost of a professional organizer, but she declined.

    Less than a month later, when I visited her, the stairway was a third blocked and the floor was a mess. I politely asked one of her children to move some of the toys, so that someone passing wouldn’t risk tripping over them. No problem there. The kid did it.

    I’ve been invited back several times, but I’ve politely declined, saying that I already have plans.

    I feel sad about spending less time with my friends and their kids, whom I adore. I’m simply not going to risk my well-being and enter a place where I can’t relax and not have to watch my step more than one normally would.

        1. The Other Dawn*

          I often wonder this about my sister and my in-laws. I tend to think my sister is a hoarder, whereas my in-laws are pack rats and are very messy.

          I found this article online. (go to huffpost(dot)com and search “Pack Rat Or Hoarder? Here Are The 6 Signs That Tell The Difference”). I don’t know if it would be helpful or not, but the line in #4 about not wanting to throw things out because it might hurt the toy’s feeling is what makes me think my sister has hoarding tendencies. She told me that’s how she always felt as a child (she’s much older than me).

            1. valentine*

              There are hoarding levels and the blockages and danger sound like hoarding. It sounds like a fire hazard as well. I would report her to adult and children’s services and look for other authorities that might intervene.

              1. That Girl From Quinn's House*

                I agree with this, call child services. If you look around on the internet, there’s many stories about the silent burden the children of hoarders bear, being humiliated by their family and home.

          2. Insignificant*

            I have always made joking comments about my mom being a hoarder since her house is filled with big piles of clutter (but not as bad as the unlivable houses I see on hoarders TV shows). She actually fits #1 through 6 in the article to various degrees though, so maybe she really is a hoarder.

            I’m not a hoarder, but I do feel bad about hurting toys’ feelings when I get rid of them if they have a face. They look sad. I think it might be an empathy issue.

    2. Maya Elena*

      Is it reasonable to occasionally see them in a neutral environment, or even in a setting in their house that isn’t as fraught – e.g. porch, living room, just to have coffee and talk?

      In any case, I give a perspective on how “exploding missiles” come to be, especially before vacation. I don’t know how many or how old the kids are, but let’s say there are only two of them, between 3 an 10 in age. Only one person in the family – usually mom – is any good at packing. So even if the other three (dad, kid1 and kid2) all pack to 75% capacity, one person still runs around the house consulting their mental and/or written checklists to make sure everyone has enough underwear, spare batteries, and favorite teddy-bears. While you’re doing this, maybe running a last load of laundry, it’s already lunch-time and the kids’ (and husband’s) tempers are deteriorating, so you run or send husband to do that. The 3-y.o., being bored because everyone else is busy and the TV isn’t even interesting anymore, decides he wants to play with Legos RIGHT NOW and spills the whole box on the carpet before you can say anything.

      In the end, you need to catch your flight, so you opt to leave the Legos on the floor and the laundry in the dryer/sorting basket (after you removed the two items you needed for the trip) , maybe the dishes undone….

      Of course this can all be averted with careful planning and packing up over a week in advance. But if she had time and bandwidth for that, she’d probably have time to clean.

      Also, kids are notorious for being perfect angels when strangers give them a one-time request to do something, while raising hell for the same request with a parent – especially when tired or hungry.

      Now, this doesn’t help your situation, because you get hurt in their house; but hopefully that does lend some empathy. I wouldn’t offer to pay for a house-organizer, because honestly that’s another Event that needs to be fit into what is probably an already really busy day and another chore (not to mention expense, even at 75% of the cost).

      1. Anonymous for This*

        Their home is, as my dad, may he RIP, would have called it, a hot mess. Eating out is also extremely challenging. All of us keep kosher. She has anaphylactic nut allergies, even to dust feet away.

        The day of the flight, which was in the evening, her husband was working from home. She went to work. The kids, who are both of elementary-school age, were in school.

        1. Anono-me*

          Can you meet your friend at a park or other public venue and bring sandwiches etc.?

      2. Maya Elena*

        It’s tough! I can relate in spirit to them; I don’t want to go crafting endless scenarios about why – but I can certainly relate to perpetual untidiness and lack of time and resources to even “think smarter not harder” (in fact, here I am commenting instead of cleaning) to reduce future cleaning workload!

        Regardless, at some point it’s on the person with problems to manage them; the best you could probably do is be even more explicit than before about your issues with visiting them… but those kinds of conversations can be fraught.

        1. Observer*

          I don’t want to be judgy, about the friends, but what’s being described here is not simply untidiness. It’s way worse than that, and it’s a real problem. You’re right that Anonymous is not in any position to do much, if anything, about this. But it’s worth recognizing that this is not simply a “messy” house.

    3. Not So NewReader*

      Ugh. Yeah the only way to salvage things might be to do things at your house or to go out together somewhere.

      When I have tried this I found that friend was always late, could not stay for any length of time for varying reasons, canceled last minute, or finally showed up but not prepared to do agreed upon activity.

      The severe clutter seems to go hand-in-hand with other problems and our ability to not always connect seem to be a snap shot of those other problems. One friend, who I offered to help, ended up wasting my entire weekend because she could not let go of tasks so I could do them. Another friend totally declined my offer to help straighten up her yard. (She had been complaining about the yard. huh?)
      In both cases there seems to be a silent FU to society and the society’s processes. It seems to be a rebellion of sorts. There’s a point where it stops being about the mess and starts being about how life works. My friends take in the world and society’s structure in ways that are different from mine.
      A third person, who lived near me for a while refused to mow or rake leaves. Somehow the dots just did not connect that if you don’t clean this stuff up it gives the rats and other critters more places to hide, breed, and live. Why you would want your house to burn down because critters chewed on the wiring is beyond me. I don’t get it. We have already lost two houses here.

      In the end, I only concluded that I was not the person I thought I was. I thought I could overlook it, work around it, etc. I can to some point. But once safety becomes an issue, then I can’t.

  99. Nervous Accountant*

    Middle of my 7th straight day of work.
    Just 9 more days to go. And I’ll have my weekends back, days off, lazy sunday morning lie ins, and my evenings back.

    1. Rainy*

      My husband offered to work weekends at his old job in lieu of notice and also to bring in a little more money as he transitions to the new job (which pays a little less, but is in his field and giving him current experience with his field’s tech, which is the only thing that’s been stopping him getting better jobs in his field thus far, so it’s worth it for us), and that will be over in May and I am SO EXCITED for us to have weekends together again. We haven’t had a weekend together without someone taking time off in well over two years.

  100. Plain Jane*

    Hi AAM community. I’ve suffered with really painful menstrual cramps since I was a teenager and the only thing that really helped me alleviate the cramps while also being able to function was going on birth control but at various times I’ve gone off birth control for different reasons. Those times I was left to go through a school or workday being in pain or spending the day on my couch with a heating pad or electric blanket.

    Recently on a lark at work when I had bad cramps I tried drinking Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea and my cramps were gone within an hour. Tried it again yesterday and it still worked. I’m so glad to have found such a simple cure for something that’s been a problem for me for decades!

    1. Gilmore67*

      That is great news!! I had bad cramps like you as a teen and older so I totally get it. The pain is indescribable. I have not had issues in a while as I am menopause but great info for anyone still suffering from cramps.

    2. Zona the Great*

      I’ve been on BC solidly for over 16 years. I’m terrified to go off them. The one time I had to was when the airline lost my bag for a month long European vacation. I almost pushed my brother in front of a train in a blind rage.

    3. Insignificant*

      I’ve had Celestial Seasonings tea before, but never the sleepytime one. Will have to try that! Was it a specific flavor that helps?

      1. Plain Jane*

        The flavor is called Sleepytime. It does make me a little drowsy as the name would suggest so I just drink it with coffee if I need to be alert.

    4. Grandma Mazur*

      Thank you for this tip! I will look to see if I can get this in the UK.

      I rely on two prescription medications (Mefenamic acid and codeine) but still find that the cramps can be pretty bad (they are unbearable without the meds – having recently given birth to a second child I can confirm that, for me, my periods are exactly the same level of pain as the first stage of labour but without people offering me gas and air to take my mind off it).

      1. Rainy*

        The Sleepytimes are usually chamomile, so even if you can’t get Celestial Seasonings, you can probably look up what is in them and either find a UK version or have a herbal shop mix you one.

        2. Maya Elena*

          Not necessarily; they might be a mishmash – e.g. Bigelow’s sleepy-time teas are definitely *not* just chamomile (I know, because I like the latter and not the former).

          1. Rainy*

            Hence my suggestion to look up what’s in them and have her local herb shop mix it for her.

    5. just a random teacher*

      Bodies are so weird! I had a Sinus Thing for about a decade, where I basically gave up on breathing through my nose, and about once a year I’d end up on nasal steroids so my ears would clear up enough for me to hear other people and not fall over due to dizziness.

      Then, my doctor suggested turmeric pills for an unrelated inflammation issue. It turns out that all my sinuses need is for me to eat turmeric regularly! I have no idea why, but I now make a point of adding at least a teaspoon of turmeric to something I’m eating each day, and I can breathe through my nose just fine now. It’s been years since I’ve needed to buy nasal steroids, and turmeric is really cheap to buy around here as a bulk spice (although weirdly expensive in pill form).

      I’ll have to see if that Sleepytime tea works similarly for me. My usual cramps go-to is chocolate, but for the last few years chocolate has given me a multi-day headache so I need ti try something else. I found that my cramps got better when I switched to using a menstrual cup, but I still get a day of backaches and feeling icky.

  101. AvonLady Barksdale*

    It now appears that unless another government offer comes through, my partner will take a visiting professor job at a university about a two-and-a-half hour drive away. Because the university is located in a tiny town in the mountains and the job isn’t permanent, I’ll probably stay here and he’ll go back and forth, likely spending three days a week and breaks with me and the rest of the time in an apartment near campus, where rents are REALLY cheap. Our lease here is up at the end of June, so we’ll find an apartment somewhere a bit closer to my office (and probably less expensive), and I’ll keep the dog with me the majority of the time. If I’m going to be living most of the time on my own, I’d much rather be in a building where I can call someone if something goes awry; we’re now renting a house and basically on our own for initial repairs, plus our landlord sucks.

    I’m not too upset about this arrangement, as I lived alone until I met him and am very comfortable on my own. We’ve been together for almost eight years and have a really good partnership, but part of me does worry a bit that we’re so used to each other that it will be a big jolt when we start this arrangement. To those of you who have done a semi-long-distance relationship/marriage, what advice do you have? What did you do that you think was necessary in keeping things strong between you? What do you wish you had done?

    1. Not A Manager*

      As far as commuting relationships go, this set-up sounds pretty ideal. You’ll see each other for about half the week, and you’ll have some longer time as well.

      My partner and I were in different cities for a few years. My advice is, enjoy your alone time. Make some of it special for you and not just work and chores and then waiting for your partner to show up.

      Similarly, set aside some special time for when your partner is with you. At three days a week, his visits won’t be all-party-all-the-time, but try to clear enough time and energy that his first evening or his first full day can be “date time” where you really focus on each other.

      My partner and I used to text a lot during the day, just short little texts, and then have a longer phone call at night. Now when we’re occasionally separated we almost never talk on the phone :) You need to experiment a little bit and see what helps you feel connected. I like doing little projects, so I would sometimes start on something “for him,” whether it was knitting a scarf or doing a cooking experiment. I’d keep him apprised of my progress. I think it helped me feel more connected and it reminded him that I loved him and was missing him.

      1. AvonLady Barksdale*

        Thanks for the tips! It’s funny– when one of us is away, we sometimes have a “check-in” phone call, and we both try to make it interesting, so sometimes we just skip it. I fear falling into that mode and remembering that it’s the everyday stuff that we need to be sure to share.

        If I’m honest, I’m looking forward to having more alone time. This past year has been tough for both of us, and I relish the idea of being able to just relax and watch some old movies that he may not like. I can do that now, but for me, it’s easier if I’m by myself. I will probably miss having him around to take the dog on a long nighttime walk, but the buddy and I will manage.

    2. Madge*

      There’s a great video app called Marco Polo that’s like video voicemail so your schedules don’t have to mesh up to “see” each other.

      1. Katefish*

        A predictable time to talk or text definitely helps. Currently 3 hours from my spouse, who often travels for work, so solidarity too.

  102. Luisa*

    Tips on streamlining one’s morning routine? Upcoming construction on the highway between my home and work is going to tack about 20 minutes on to my commute, so I’m looking for ideas to save time in the morning.

    Things I already do in the evenings: pick out my outfit (including grabbing socks, underwear, etc.), pack my work bag, pack non-perishable components of lunch/prep perishable components and put them in the fridge.

    Things I already skip in the mornings: styling my hair with anything more than gel/mousse (I don’t blow dry my hair), looking at anything on my phone (email, social media, news, etc.).

    Things I don’t have to factor in: caring for other living things (spouse/children/pets).

      1. Luisa*

        I’ve been thinking of moving the shower to the night before. But will I feel gross all day?

        I really can’t get up any earlier than I do now, unfortunately; my current 5 AM alarm already doesn’t work well for my body. Otherwise that would be an easy solution!

        1. acmx*

          I think you’d be fine with a shower the night befits but only you can decide of course. Try it one night. Also, you could take two. One at night to wash either your hair or your body and one in the morning to wash whichever you didn’t the night before. Or full shower the night before and a quick one in the morning to wake up?

          Also, no chance of an alternate route?

          2. Luisa*

            The next-best route will take the same amount of time, unfortunately. (And that’s assuming the traffic volume on that route stays at current levels once construction starts.)

        2. Aurora Leigh*

          I like to shower the night before — I’m not a sweaty sleeper and I find a warm shower before bed very relaxing.

          I also like to put on clean socks and underwear so I don’t have to change in the morning.

          I like to have some completely premade options for lunch — a hot pocket and a fruit cup, can of soup, things that require no prep before hand.

          With this schedule I can leave the house 15 minutes after getting out of bed.

        3. Beatrice*

          You can always try it on a weekend and see how it works for you.

          I switched to showering at night most days, and at first my hair was greasier near the end of the day. I started using dry shampoo to combat that…I just needed a little around my part and around my ears and I was fine. I later switched to alternating dry shampoo/wet shampoo days, and now I don’t need dry shampoo the morning after my wet shampoo. My scalp gradually adjusted the amount of oil it put out.

    2. HannahS*

      Shower at night. When I’m in a rush, I also take portable breakfasts (tea in a travel mug, and a sandwich or smoothie) to eat in the car.

    3. MissDisplaced*

      It doesn’t sound like there’s much else except for showing at night, or cutting down the time of your shower (use a timer). Or leaving earlier. Ugh! Construction like that sucks.

  103. Little Beans*

    Do I have an obligation to my family to be more available via phone? I have a cell phone and it is almost always with me, but I’m not the kind of person who is looking at it all day long. Often, I won’t see a text message for a few hours – I might be at work with the sound turned off, or I left it in the house while I was working outside, or I just forgot it somewhere. Also, I make a point of specifically not looking at my phone if I’m driving, in the middle of a conversation, or eating a meal, even if I notice a text has come in (and on some occasions, I then forget to check the text when I finish driving/talking/eating, which leads to further delay before I respond). We’re not talking about days, usually never more than a few hours before I eventually notice/find my phone and reply. However, some of my older family members have been expressing frustration with how long it sometimes takes me to reply to a text, and they’re guilting me by saying it could be an emergency. Yes, some of it is due to my forgetfulness/inattention and I could work on that, but I also feel like it’s unreasonable to expect that you will always get a reply immediately. Even if it were an emergency, I still wouldn’t be answering the phone while driving, etc.

    1. Rainy*

      No, you don’t have an obligation to be available to them every second. Their guilt trip is a lie.

    2. Washi*

      Would you notice if it rang? It seems like if there were a real emergency, someone would call rather than text. I think getting back to people within around a day is perfectly acceptable for non urgent matters.

      1. Lucy*

        This.

        I wouldn’t answer my phone whilst driving, but I might well pull over if it kept ringing over and over.

        As for emergency, if you aren’t anyone’s next of kin / power of attorney type, then bluntly it’s only going to be you missing out if you miss an emergency call and nobody else will actually suffer much. If you are a carer or the parent of minors then hours probably is too long (but an hour while you literally can’t have your phone eg in the pool would be understandable).

      2. Little Beans*

        I would be much more likely to notice if it rang but still not a guarantee. I put my phone on silent during meetings at work and sometimes forget to turn the sound back on, and I also leave it places (the most likely scenario is that I’m out walking the dogs for 30 minutes or so, and left the phone at home).

    3. Not Alison*

      My friend’s policy is that she will look at e-mail after breakfast and looks at text messages after dinner. If you need her on a more immediate basis, then you better call. This has always worked well for both of us. Perhaps you can establish something like this with your relatives so you don’t feel on call 24/7.

    4. Beatrice*

      I’m bad at looking at my phone regularly. My family knows. If it’s an emergency, they call, sometimes repeatedly. My husband and kid mostly get it and abide by it. Some extended family members don’t.

      I’ve had a couple of family members use the “call repeatedly” signal for non-emergencies. On the second call, I always answer with “Are you okay?!?” in an alarmed voice. If the response is like, “Yeah, I’m fine, I was just at the grocery store and they had a sale on rutabagas and I wanted to know if you wanted me to grab some for you”, my response is something like, “Sherri, you know I don’t even eat rutabagas. I answered because I thought something was wrong. I’m at work and I’m busy, I’ll call you later.” They either learn or I stop taking their calls. (Sherri now has to call my husband for emergencies, because I will not answer her calls unless I am totally unoccupied. I literally once had four text messages and seven missed calls from her for a shopping question that came up while I was in a work meeting. The only reason I speak to her at all is because I’m maritally obligated to.)

      Twenty years ago, nobody had cell phones and people were routinely unconnected for hours at a time and it was mostly fine. I refuse to be available on demand for silly things like rutabaga sales.

    5. Rhymes with Mitochondria*

      For me, it kind of depends on the situation. If my mother (who has all kinds of mobility issues) is alone because my stepdad is out of town, then yes, I do feel an obligation to be reachable. If she has my stepdad around and it’s a good week, not so much.
      But my family also knows texting isn’t great for time sensitive, important and urgent stuff. They call for that.

    6. Not So NewReader*

      My friend has an adult daughter who never, ever answers her phone. We thought this might change when there was a family emergency but it did not.

      I’d suggest checking to see who called, if it’s an elderly person or someone who is having a life changing event, perhaps make it a point to answer/return the call asap. OTH, perhaps help that person figure out who would be available on a moment’s notice to help them.

      When we had corded lines, everyone knew that they would get a call back after work once the person returned home. So they waited. Perhaps you could have a loosely set time of day where you return all non-emergency calls. This could be as you fix dinner or some other logical point. It could be that people would get used to that and work with that.

      I have another friend who does not answer the phone after 5:30. It really makes communication hard and I don’t think my friend realizes how hard.

    7. Insignificant*

      I’m pretty much like you. If I get a text and I’m not in the middle of something, I might answer immediately, but otherwise I might wait or might not notice it for a few hours for various reasons. I think some people who are constantly on their phone (or who communicate with people who are constantly on their phones) have become accustomed to immediate responses and get annoyed at having to wait for any length of time. No one has complained to me about my delayed responses, but they’ve definitely complained to me about waiting on other people.

      I tell people that if there’s an emergency or they need to discuss something important, to call me. I rarely get unscheduled phone calls, so I answer them when they happen or call back immediately when I notice the missed call. I also give my work phone number to people who might call me with an emergency (and emphasize that it should only be used in an emergency) since I can’t check my phone while working. I’ve gotten some non-emergency calls at work, but I wouldn’t say they were totally trivial calls either, so it hasn’t been a big issue.

    8. Asenath*

      When I wanted to be available in case an elderly relative had an emergency, I did keep a cell phone with me and on. Now, I generally have the sound off, and check periodically for messages. That works for me, but I have no one who will text or call me at random times and expect an answer RIGHT NOW. I don’t get personal calls at work (unless someone close to me has died, literally, that was the last time I got a personal call at work), and after work I screen my calls, but do answer them.

  104. Myrin*

    Aaaand a very late thread in the hopes of someone still reading this far (if not, I’ll come back next week).

    MOULD!

    Since our move six weeks ago, today is the third or fourth time food became mouldy while being in the fridge. The fridge came with the flat, is quite new (two years, I believe?), and had been cleaned before we moved in. We have never had this problem with our old fridge (the one time I completely forgot about that feta in the back notwithstanding, ahem)! We haven’t changed our fridge-ing habits during the last six weeks, nor the containers we store stuff in or the products themselves.

    Does anyone have an idea what could be behind that? Is it too warm? The fridge is bigger than our old one but only by one shelf and I don’t get the feeling the stuff stored at the top is warmer than it was in our old one. There’s two freezers below it which are connected (electricity-wise) to the fridge, could that be a problem? Or do I simply need to crank up (or down, I guess) the temperature?

    I’ll be cleaning and disinfecting the whole thing tomorrow but in the meantime and for the future, I’d appreciate some ideas and insights!

    1. Rainy*

      It may also be too warm but I’d bet that what’s actually happening is that it’s not pulling enough moisture out of the air. Turn it a little lower (but be careful or your greens will freeze) and see if there’s a humidity control, but also maybe vacuum the back and scooch it out and sweep/mop under it. Also check for a drip pan and bleach the drip pan. If you are desperate, unplug it and let it thaw completely while you sterilise it and then plug it back in and turn it on for a nice hard reset (you never know).

    2. Not So NewReader*

      Agreeing that it sounds like it is too warm. I’d lower the temp. It might be because of heating your home that the refrigeration can’t keep up- as in the house is very warm.

      I would clean and use a toothbrush to get into all the tight spots as best you can. I would also unplug the fridge and vacuum under it and behind it. Be sure to unplug first. Once you are done vacuuming, you can plug it back in again. If you do manage to pull massive amounts of stuff from under or behind it then that might be part of your problem also.

      If you think you may have mice you can check for mouse nests as you go. I found a bunch of dog food in my oven drawer (storage area) that the mice had transported over to save for later. It was easily several measuring cups of dog food. Industrious little rascals.

      Refrigerator thermometers are fairly inexpensive. If the problem persists you might check it with a fridge thermometer to see if the fridge is accurately holding its temp.

    3. Dr. Anonymous*

      Can you get an inexpensive refrigerator thermometer where you live? In the US they’re cheap and found in the housewares section of supermarkets or in hardwares stores. Temperature should be about 40F.

    4. That Girl From Quinn's House*

      We had a problem with food spoiling in our fridge unexpectedly last year, and it turned out the temperature was too high because of where the cold air vent was located. It’s in a weird spot and if you put anything on the top shelf, it blocks the air flow, and warms up the fridge. We stopped using the tiny top shelf, and it’s been fine since.

  105. Gatomon*

    The Harry Potter in Concert series is coming to my town soon! Has anyone been to it before, and did you enjoy it? Do they still run the dialog tracks over the live orchestra? Does it work out okay?

    I’m excited but decent tickets look like they will cost me $50+, which is quite a splurge for me.

    1. DietCokeHead*

      They’ve been doing one Harry Potter with the Symphony a year for the past three years here. I’ve gone all three years and really enjoy it. They do run the dialog over the live orchestra but they also have the closed captions on, so that helps. It’s also not as distracting as you might think it will be. I would say if you want to splurge, it is worth it.

    2. Aerin*

      I haven’t done Harry Potter (our symphony is halfway through the series but I’m not interested), but I did Star Wars and Casablanca this year. It was awesome! For both movies they had the captions on, which was good because I was way up in the grand tier and it can be hard to understand what they’re saying sometimes, especially with the music up. They’ve got Empire Strikes Back and the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie up for this next season, and we’re planning on hitting both of those.

      Also, depending on your hall, you might not need particularly good seats. I think our view might have been compromised if we were in the stalls along the edge of the house, but anywhere in the center was fine. In fact, I would think it might be a little harder to take in the screen from the floor, since it has to be fairly high up to accommodate the orchestra.

  106. Sushi Wasabi*

    Is there any recommended course of action to take if you have a friend you’re walking on eggshells around? Is there a way to communicate to solve the problem? Is there a way to work to have a relationship with someone like that if it’s an ongoing issue?

    1. valentine*

      Why the eggshells? Are they easily upset? Is there something specific that happened?

      I would end it. It’s no way to live and relationships should be safe, including safe to communicate.

      1. Sushi Wasabi*

        Hmmm ok. I was just wondering like, in general, is there something you can do in that situation or is ending it the only logical solution. They just don’t seem to set very clear boundaries and sometimes they seem contradictory to themselves and then get upset about it and I’m just like, Uhmmmm……..?

        1. Madge*

          I think we’d need more information to give specific advice, but you are free to set boundaries for behavior you’re willing to accept and how you want to be treated. Stating and enforcing them is the tricky part, but it may not require ending the friendship. Captain Awkward is a great resource for scripts.

          1. Sushi Wasabi*

            It’s confusing because how am I supposed to set a boundary on someone whose setting a boundary? Like they’re mad because I did something so then I’m supposed to be like, stop being mad? That feels wrong.

            1. fposte*

              It depends on what they do when they’re mad and whether you think their expectation is something reasonable or sustainable for you. Are they mad for unstated reasons that you have to guess? That’s not setting a boundary, that’s punishing you. Are they mad for stated reasons? Then you get to decide, same as they do, if this is a friendship worth pursuing for you if the boundary they set isn’t something that works for you.

              I will say that with a new friendship if I’ve made somebody mad more than once already that doesn’t bode well to me. Usually it takes a lot to get somebody mad during the honeymoon period of friendship, so to me this would likely signal some key incompatibility. That doesn’t mean they suck–it could be that I am ignorantly on their last nerve and haven’t curbed myself the way that they were hoping–but it does mean it’s worth asking if this is a friendship worth pursuing if you’re already walking on eggshells.

        2. Not So NewReader*

          Have they always been like this or is this new? Or are you just getting to really know this friend?

          If this is something new, perhaps you can say, “Friend, how’s life treating you, you seem a little not-yourself lately.” If they let go of information you did not know then that is probably your answer.

            1. valentine*

              To me, eggshells are for scary people who get silent (the worst torture, because it may never end), loud, and/or physical (big or loud movements, manhandling you or objects) when they’re angry. So something had to happen for you to turn hesitant. If you haven’t known someone long, I would expect that, if they said, “I’m mad and need space,” hopefully with a time limit, you would just wait to discuss it at that time, if it’s days, not weeks or longer, because it shows the purpose isn’t to meet both of your needs and so is not sustainable. You can decide you’ve waited long enough and are done or you can give them a first and only long radio silence, just to see where it goes and to then establish terms for the future, like space means no more than a week (though I think that’s a lot, especially for someone new to you).

    2. Not A Manager*

      Having read all the comments and the replies on this post, it’s starting to sound to me like at least one of you is feeling more-than-friends about this relationship. I could be wrong, but that’s the vibe I’m getting.

      If so, I’d say just end it now. If being together is this much work now, it’s only going to get harder the more entangled you get and the deeper your feelings become. Sometimes you can fix structural issues, but this sounds more like personality incompatibilities. Or, maybe the intensity of your feelings don’t match up, which can cause some perceptions of mixed signals/not understanding boundaries.

      If this really is a “just friends” kind of thing, I’d still recommend ending it unless you have some important reason to want to pursue it. If you do want to maintain the relationship, I’d take the advice above about setting your own boundaries. Hang out less, have fewer intimate chats, don’t be available all the time, etc. Just give them fewer interactions to get upset about.

  107. Isabekka*

    Content warning for death
    **************************
    People of the commentariat, I need to vent.
    So I just heard from my mother that my cousin David is dead. He was not old or injured and apart from a slight cold he wasn’t sick either. Except clearly he must have been because otherwise he wouldn’t be dead. I’m just stunned and I can’t stop asking how. I need answers and nobody has any it’s just so sudden and unexpected.

    1. Not So NewReader*

      Oh so very sorry. Your desire for context is so normal. We tend to need to know what happened. Sudden losses can really rock our world. I hope you find out very soon.

      1. Isabekka*

        Thank you. It looks like there will be a post mortem given how sudden and unexplained it is. I think it’s hardest for my aunt ; its been less than a day since she found him, and I’m not sure how she will cope with the idea pf a post mortem.

        1. Not So NewReader*

          Yeah, that is rough. It feels disrespectful to their remains.

          But this is how we show respect, we find out why a person’s life ended. Just ignoring the event would also be disrespectful. Perhaps something went wrong and we can learn from it to save other lives, such as a gas leak in an apartment building. If your aunt says anything to you, perhaps planting this seed will be of a tiny help.

          Losing a child is the toughest loss there is in my opinion. It’s very hard.

    2. Merci Dee*

      One of my family friends had a grandson who died in his sleep at the age of 27. During the postmortem, the coroner said he was extremely healthy – good weight, good diet, exercised regularly, no problems with cholesterol, etc. – except for the fact that he was dead. His heart just stopped. No reason, no rhyme, no logic. Unfortunately, it happens sometimes, and makes no sense.

    3. Grace Less*

      I’m sorry for your loss. I’ve had several “sudden” losses, and they are so difficult. Be sure to take care of yourself, as well as your family. Eat and sleep as best you can, be okay putting off non-urgent tasks, forgive yourself for being distracted.

  108. Sunflower*

    Has anyone paid to upgrade on the traditionally free dating apps(Hinge, Bumble)? I heard from several people that the app will actually hide certain people or matches from you unless you pay up. I don’t care about seeing who has liked me first or using advanced filters necessarily- I just want to see the full batch of available people out there. Or is it just better to go with a traditional paid app/site like Match?

    1. Rainy*

      I had no luck at all on Match. Like, never got a single message, ever. It was a giant waste of time, money, and effort. I think it works a little better if you are Christian, so maybe if that’s your situation it will work out better, but a close friend who *is* Christian also has just ended up with a lot of dudes in their early 40s jerking her around.

      The pay to upgrade might be a little better, although I’ve had a couple of friends now meet long-term partners and even spouses on Bumble without the paid version. I’m old school–I used OKCupid when I was online dating, except the brief disaster with Match. :D

      One important thing is to figure out–what app are people in your area using for relationships vs hookups?–because it varies pretty widely by locale. There are a lot of places where people use Tinder for relationships, although my two most recent cities, Tinder was emphatically a hookup app and nothing more.

  109. Mazzy*

    Anyone else struggling with taxes? I have a K-1 / 1065 question for a partnership that pays me a few hundred dollars. I cannot find an answer on google and I don’t want to get an Accountant to answer such a low budget question. The partnership gave me a breakdown of income by state, and there are some states that I don’t live in where there was $1 – $10 of partnership income. Do I need to file state returns just for that $1 or $10 income there? Has anyone else solved this problem for themselves before?

      1. Mazzy*

        Well it would be the other states I don’t live in, for example, $1 in Ohio. I didn’t want to get into emailing and waiting for responses from 8 different states a week before the due date. Hoping someone else has been through this.

    2. Madge*

      First: I am a trained tax volunteer for VITA, K-1s are out of scope for our organization and my 4012 resource guide has a picture of a sample K-1, but they rarely look alike. But in your case, this more of a general tax question.

      Every state has an income threshold for filing a return. (And this would be limited to the income earned in that state, not your total income.) They’re all different and some are as clearly stated as mud, but they’re all well above $10. You’re not going to owe taxes on such a small amount, no taxes were collected from you based on that income, and states don’t have the money to process your zero return. If you want to confirm this, you can do a search for “do I need to file a tax return” and the state name.

      1. Mazzy*

        This was helpful. I just found a blurb on CA that basically says you need to earn over $14K CA income to report there, much higher than my few dollars. Can I ask another question? This is a general one. Do you think the IRS cares about every penny/dollar, if something is off, and you make around $100K? I had a lot of stock market activity this year and I probably should have checked my 1099-B and 1099-D more carefully. There was $7 that I’m still not sure if it came from a partnership or ordinary dividends. My 1099–B has them as “non-taxable income.” Would the IRS notice or care about something that small?

        1. fposte*

          If it’s ordinary dividends, it shouldn’t be non-taxable. Is it possible you’re looking at nondividend distributions? (Have a look at IRS form 550 for more info.)

          In my anecdotal experience, yes, the IRS may well notices discrepancies, even small ones, on investments that are getting reported independently to them elsewhere, but they’re not reasons to send the tax SWAT squad–they just contact you and ask that you correct the tax paid, or explain the discrepancy.

        2. Madge*

          Notice, yes. Since most everything is filed electronically, it’s nothing for them to compare figures and do the math. But I agree with fposte that the worst you’ll see is a letter with a revised amount owed or requesting an explanation.

  110. Utoh!*

    Hubby and I were finally able to get into our garage (I had posted a couple of weeks back it was severely damaged due to a car driving into it and will be completely demolished and replaced). We took this as an opportunity to get rid of items we a) have not used and don’t expect to use, b) we have used but won’t any longer, c) damaged items which we are hoping to get something in the way of reimbursement but won’t be replacing. Hubby’s car sustained a very minor ding and he already received a check but won’t be fixing it, as it’s almost 10 years old. The garage was very organized so the removal of items was not too bad. We only took what we wanted to keep or give away and are leaving the rest to be disposed of when the demolition commences. We expect not to have a garage until June if all goes well, the engineering plans are being sent to the town for approval. Considering it was built in the 80’s, I am expecting some building code improvements, especially with the foundation. We plan to move out of state in about 4 years and hope the new garage will help the resale value.

    One odd thing, we still have not talked to our neighbor about the accident, she seems to have made herself scarce (in her house). We aren’t angry at all so I do hope we see her so we can ask how she and her friend (who was driving) are doing. She always told us I need the past what great neighbors we are, so avoiding us like this is out of character.

    1. Madge*

      I don’t think it’s unreasonable for your neighbor to assume that even the best of neighbors might get testy about a situation like this and she’s probably dealing with a lot right now. You could set her mind at ease by writing her a note.

      1. valentine*

        Yes, write her a note. She may be afraid you will sue or want to prosecute the driver. (I don’t recall if it was her.)

    2. I'm A Little Teapot*

      She’s probably embarrassed, worried you’re angry, etc. Hiding when you think you’re in trouble is a natural response.

    1. Maya Elena*

      I wish Heidi and Pride and Prejudice had sequels by the author (later fan-fiction doesn’t count), and that Robert Jordan could have lived to finish his Wheel of Time series the way he envisioned it, rather than the Brandon Sanderson version.

      I would like Patrick Rothfuss to finish up the “Name of the Wind” series.

      1. Gatomon*

        I would like Patrick Rothfuss to finish up the “Name of the Wind” series.

        Mark me down for this one as well!

        I would also like Brandon Sanderson to finish the Stormlight Archives.

    2. Pamela Adams*

      The Universal Pantechnicon, by Alexei Panshin. It would be 4th in his Anthony Villiers series.

    4. HannahS*

      Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them, but it’s, a series of gentle adventure/mystery novels about Newt Scamander traveling to different parts of the world to catalogue creatures and then solving problems for wizarding and muggle communities.

    5. Cheesesteak in Paradise*

      I wish Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte had lived to their 80s to keep writing more books! Both died much too young…

    6. Earthwalker*

      The next Song of Ice and Fire novel. I was reading the series when the TV version of Game of Thrones began, and the author left the readers hanging.

    7. Aurora Leigh*

      Ooh, what a great topic!

      The next Peagus book by Robin McKinley. I thought the first one was great, but it feels like it stops in the middle of the book. I’m pretty sure the author gave up writing after her husband passed.

    11. just a random teacher*

      On the reference/non-fiction side, Recipes That You Definitely Feel Like Cooking Right Now Out of Things You Have in the House. I would like to look at that sucker pretty much every day, rather than give up and cook one of the five things I cook all the time.

      On the fiction side, I want more book series that avoid the “escalating stakes each book” problem. The best SF example I can find of what I’m looking for is Bujold’s Vorksigan books. I get worn out with a lot of other SF series where Book 1 features Main Character solving a crisis that could mean disaster for their city, and Book 25 features the same main character saving the multi-verse for the 5th time. I find more of what I’m looking for outside of Sf/fantasy (I’ve found a good mystery series or two that don’t have this power creep problem), but I want to read People On Spaceships With Regular-Human-Level Problems Living Their Lives: The Multi-Book Series.

      1. Bibliovore*

        I really really wanted Hunger Games books set from the point of view of the other districts with deep backstory and world building.

    13. OtterB*

      More books by Janet Kagan. Would have loved a sequel to Hellspark.

      The final book in the Borderlands series by Lorna Freeman (Covenants, The Kings Own, and Shadows Past). Would love to know what happened to Lord Rabbit and his companions, especially to the character who is missing and presumed kidnapped at the end of the 3rd book.

      An Ambush of Tigers, by Beth Hilgartner. Sequel to A Business of Ferrets and A Parliament of Owls.

  112. Maya Elena*

    I wish Heidi and Pride and Prejudice had sequels by the author (later fan-fiction doesn’t count), and that Robert Jordan could have lived to finish his Wheel of Time series the way he envisioned it, rather than the Brandon Sanderson version.

    I would like Patrick Rothfuss to finish up the “Name of the Wind” series.

  113. Hedgehog*

    Does anyone have any tips for helping a pet lose weight? I have a cat who is VERY focused on food. She doesn’t like to exercise too much (she’ll pounce on the stray toy here and there, but only will play for a few minutes before stopping). I have her on special food and measure out her meals, but she doesn’t seem to be losing any of the extra weight. I’ve tried cutting her food back to reduce her calorie intake, but she just gets more and more insistent and demanding until I feed her (think waking me up hourly from 3AM until 7AM when I get up and feed her breakfast), which is not sustainable for me. I know that her weight’s not healthy, but I’m at a loss for what other strategies I can try that might help her!

    1. fposte*

      If the special food is dry food, that doesn’t tend to work great with cats–a lot of vets recommend what they amusingly call the “Catkins” diet, which is low-carb wet food.

      1. fposte*

        Oh, I just saw a great idea on a vet’s page, which is to put food up where the kitty has to climb to it.

        1. Rainy*

          We just did this–put the cat’s food up on her giant play structure–because we have a puppy who shouldn’t eat the cat’s food, and she was pretty mad about it at first and now she’s fine.

    2. MissDisplaced*

      You might want to check a Facebook page called Tinys Weight Loss Challenge that was about a 30lb cat who lost weight. Or maybe call them?
      https://m.facebook.com/tinysweightlosschallenge/

      Have you tried a slow feeder? It’s a zig zag bowl that gets cats to eat slower. It might help. Also, a laser pointer can get kitties moving.

      1. Anonymous Educator*

        You could also look into an automatic feeder that’s timed to dispense little bits at various intervals. You could even have the food dispense at 3am and 7am when you’re asleep.

        1. Aerin*

          That’s what we did for ours as well. She’s mostly figured out that bugging us won’t make the food drop any faster. Our schedules can vary rather widely, so I think ensuring that she gets consistent portions at consistent times has also helped her drop a couple of pounds.

    3. I'm A Little Teapot*

      My older kitty was always nervous, and she was a comfort eater. When she was scared, upset, worried, etc – she’d eat. To predictable results. Her high was 17.5 pounds, and her ideal was about 12. (She’s old now, and everything’s changed). The thing that really allowed me to get a handle on the problem was when I got a feeder that I could program to put down specific amounts on whatever schedule. I think it took 2 days for her to figure out that even if there wasn’t food now, she knew when it would be there. And that was a game changer. Instead of bugging me, she basically stalked the machine.

      Weight loss in cats is incredibly slow. You measure by ounces, not pounds. My 2nd cat right now is on a diet, she needs to lose about 1.5lbs total (gained due to meds). She’s losing about an ounce a month. If they lose too quickly it can cause liver problems, and if she stops eating completely that’s an emergency. The liver will process fat as long as they’re eating, but if they stop eating the liver will shut down.

      You may also find that as she loses weight, she’ll become more active. So keep up the play efforts.

    4. Gatomon*

      I have a cat with similar issues – he was 18 lbs when I adopted him. Today he is 11 lbs, which the vet said is good for his size. He was playful but struggled with being active due to his weight. He could barely jump from floor to chair height to get into my lap.

      The vet put him on a prescription weight management wet food and I add a small amount of regular dry cat food to that. I had to break it out into 3 feedings each day to stay sane myself. He gets a meal in the mornings, the afternoon/evening and at night. (A timed feeder REALLY helps with the morning feed and the afternoon, if you are not at home.) I gave him the dry food at night because it kept him full longer and allowed me to get more sleep. I found he would chase down and eat dry kibble if I tossed it, so I used that to get him moving when he was at his highest weights. I also taught him to “dance” like a dog for a kibble.

      I actually didn’t see any progress with my cat for about a year. I was super meticulous checking his weight and measuring out his meals, but nothing seemed to be working. So I actually got frustrated and gave up the rigidity. I started eyeballing his meals instead and dropped the regular weight checks. And that was when he finally started to lose weight. I think maybe my stress and frustration over his weight was affecting him, if that’s possible? Once he started to lose pounds he became more active and playful like a normal cat. He’s still extremely food motivated but he is keeping the weight off.

    5. Animal worker*

      Try pairing small meals with play/exercise sessions. This incentivizes exercise. If all her food comes after a high energy playtime she will be more motivated for them. Ideally do this as many times as day as possible and build up her endurance. And if you feed her when she begs, she’ll continue or increase that behavior. You need to be as disciplined as you’re trying to make her. It’s not always easy but you can both build new habits on her feeding routine that could be very helpful for her to be able to lose weight.

    6. not Lynn Davis*

      I’m replying so late, you may not see this, but…..
      As fposte said, my vet recommended all-wet for weight loss.
      Like gatomon, I gave three feedings…before work, after work, bedtime.
      Felt guilty leaving kitty foodless all day, so I left out about 12 pieces of kibble to snack on while I was at work.

      For exercise , kitty loved sliced deli turkey, so I got her to follow me around the house by putting down TINY pieces of turkey, at first close together on the floor, and once she learned the ‘game ‘, farther apart…on the couch…on arm of couch….on floor….on chair….to encourage moving around to get/eat them. Was fun to watch her try to anticipate where next piece would be.

  114. Bowserkitty*

    Made it down to Tokyo Disneyland on Saturday with a bunch of friends from around Japan doing the same job as me, it was a blast. But jeez, I don’t understand how people will line up for 2 hours for one ride! It’s been 7.5 years since I went to Disney World in Florida, but I don’t remember anyone willing to do that. I could be wrong. It was kind of weird to see It’s a Small World with a 100 minute wait (and a fastpass line!!) when in America it’s easily a walk-on ride because only the most fervent of Disney fans care about it and enjoy the music. (My mom hates it, I LOVE it.)

    That said, they added in various movie characters to some of the countries in the ride and it was SO CUTE. aaaaa. I can’t wait to go again on a weekday. lol

    1. Anonymous Educator*

      Oh, people do it! Check out the wait times for the Avatar Flight of Passage ride in Disney World’s Animal Kingdom or the wait times for Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout in Disney’s California Adventure.

    2. Aerin*

      Sometimes they just don’t know any better. They figure the line is what it is, so if they want to ride they’re gonna have to suck it up and wait. (And sometimes that is indeed the case unless you get there right at park opening or catch it when they’ve just reopened after a downtime.) Or they get in without paying attention to the posted wait, especially if the bulk of the queue is hidden, or they just assume the posted time is inflated.

      But sometimes you’re there just to do that thing, especially if you’re local and go a lot. Like, we had people willing to wait the 5 hours or so our line averaged on Toy Story opening day because they wanted to say they’d ridden it on opening day, and they’ve done everything else a hundred times so it’s no great sacrifice. Hell, when I had particularly difficult reading for class I used to hop in the standby line for something like Indiana Jones or Space Mountain. I’d get about an hour where reading was the only thing worth focusing on, and my reward was getting to ride. (Though I’m sure I got some weird looks for busting out Infinite Jest at Disneyland!)

      And of course weird things can happen to your wait times. Jungle Cruise usually capped out at 20 minutes on a busy day, but there were times when we got north of 45–either the park was at capacity, or we couldn’t have the max number of boats out for some reason, or another ride nearby went down and everyone who’d been waiting for that headed to us. When I went back with a friend last year, the Guardians Fastpass line got badly spiked because two other major attractions had gone down and everyone who had FPs for either one headed to Guardians.

      I would love to go to the Tokyo parks! I’ve heard it’s the best of the resorts worldwide, especially DisneySea.

  115. Liz*

    I’m just going to put this out there so everyone can have a laugh. I like to think i am reasonably intelligent person, who is also blessed with a lot of common sense. yet I have my oblivious moments, or what I like to call (only for myself since i enjoy poking fun at myself) DBM’s or dumb blonde moments. Since i am anything but.

    so I’m dogsitting. For someone who’s dog I’ve never watched before (I have kind of a side business doing it for friends etc.) As is my norm, i went to take a shower before bed. I go in, and turn on the water, and its coming out the faucet. ok but where’s the knob/dial etc. to switch to the shower? ITS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND! I’m pushing, pulling etc. and cannot figure it out. I finally just gave up, go in the tub, and washed up using the faucet etc.

    next day I text my friend’s sister, who’s dog it is. she says “pull down where the water comes out” so i google it and lo and behold, apparently there is some kind of faucet, where there is a ring you pull down from where the water comes out. Who knew? certainly not me. I’m sure had it not been later at night i eventually would have figured it out but really? so go ahead all who knew this thing existed and laugh.

    but my weekend did get better as I found a vintage stand mixer in a thrift store, cheap.

    1. Deb Morgan*

      I did not know about this ring either! You’re not alone in not knowing. I really hate tricky plumbing features like that. I’m just trying to take a shower; don’t make me solve a puzzle first!

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