No brigading. View the "Critiques of Libertarianism" page here: http://critiques.us/index.php?title=Critiques_Of_Libertarianism Sick of all the conspiracy theories, racism, anti-Semitism and general douchebaggery of libertarians? You are not alone! Award for most Liberty AND Freedom out of Any Political Subreddit on Reddit- Ron Paul Bravery Award 2013
A place where vegans can commit random acts of food.
WELCOME TO THE GRANDEST OF SUBREDDITS: /EXCALIBUR. A community dedicated to the Legendary Sword Excalibur.
Hi again, father of 29+5 boy, now 34+0. Today I got a diagnosis of "Mild Periventricular flaring" for my LO on his cranial USG. This was after he got a initial diagnosis for BPD (Mild hazy opacity in bilateral lungs). LO went from room air to 2L to 4L air w/o supplemental oxygen in just under a day. He was still having desats. Doctors explained that since by boy was never on oxygen or vent, and was kept on room air since his 3rd week, sudden desats could only mean this is an early BPD diagnosis. And they followed this with a cranial USG, which showed the flaring. They started DART and LO has recovered and back on room air. But now his flare diagnosis is haunting me. Anyone have any insight on this or any words to help me process what is going on? Docs said they will do a follow up USG after 36 weeks and 40 weeks corrected and and MRI later, but this may also be initial symptom of PVL. Our initial days post delivery weren't that eventful apart from a few vomiting incidence (NEC scare) but now it's just keeps coming.
So I was the "lady" in this episode. facepalm I was at a typical Mexican restaurant with my friends. In my friend group I am the one who is always excited about other cultures, people, and food. I am the one who preaches cultural diversity and I will call someone out for their stereotyping behavior. I'm also a polyglot and speak several languages. Race and culture are relevant in this story so here is the breakdown. Our table consisted of myself (white), my Puerto Rican friend, a new Vietnamese acquaintance, a white friend, a black friend, and my Haitian boss. We were discussing the problem of people assuming that if someone looks a certain way they will speak the language related to that look. Our new Vietnamese friend was telling us a story about that assumption since her sister is from Vietnam but looks like like a Dominican because her father was Dominican. However she speaks Vietnamese only and people think she is faking it or mocking them.
Anyway, I had to excuse myself to run to the restroom. On my way back, I spotted our Mexican server in the hall. I smiled and asked him if we could please get some more salsa and another soda. He laughed.....I gave him the "Are you going to do it?" look...I think you know where this is going. He looked NOTHING like our server. I had made a snap judgement just because he appeared to look Mexican.
He stopped laughing and got a befuddled look on his face and said, "oh, are you serious? I don't work here!" Then he shook his head and walked away.
Of course the whole interaction took place within earshot of my suddenly quiet table of friends who then laughed their butts off at me. They never let me live this one down. It's been 16 years....
I died of embarrassment! I am in fact deceased and came back from the dead just to post this story as a cautionary tale.
Link to part 2
https://www.reddit.com/nosleep/comments/13qcl3m/the_big_rock_candy_mountain_book_2_finding/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button Well, this is going to be a little different.
First thing I want to say is that Kev will be back. I’m not the type to sugar coat things, he’s in a pretty sorry state, but he’s going to pull through. He’s a tough bastard.
In case you haven’t clued in yet, it’s Mike, I might not be as much of a wordsmith as Kev but I think I can keep your interest.
She was about five foot four, pale greasy skin and pitch colored hair that was just about to cross the double line from shiny into gross. Early thirties I’d guess, but with the strange shit Kev and I have gotten ourselves into she could be a million, or put together yesterday for all I know.
She was a “ Shame Monger” which was as esoteric of a job title as it sounds, and the first context me and my little buddy had on our current assignment.
The place we’re in is an old, decrepit arcade, I’m surrounded by shadowy figures sticking to the dark recesses like insects.
Kev is somewhere deep within the place sticking his neck out with God knows what ( I mean, I do as well, but I’ll let Kevin relay shit when he’s up to it.), and I’m making small talk.
“You human? “ I say, she’s not offended but raises an eyebrow.
“Are you? “ She has an edge to her, human or not, she’s seen some shit.
I laugh, running a hand over the branded lines mimicking clown patterns Art left me with after that stay in his gulag.
“Sometimes I forget about the braille.
Yeah, %100 sadly. “ I lean on the counter as I speak.
“Me too, you haven’t been working with the watchers long, have you? “ She sounds concerned, “ I’d suggest finding a new job. They have a bit of a reputation. “
“Long enough. “ I’m wary now, information is a resource I’m not willing to part with easily.
I don’t think she’s wrong, mind you, every day I spend with these wizards by another name, I like them less and less. Being sent with Kev, Jr, and the voices in my head, wandering across the country to find something called “The Fleshsmith”, is the best case scenario in my opinion. Gives me some breathing room.
“How do does one deal in shame? “ I say after a long silence. The glitched beeping of the machines becoming grating.
“Not as spooky as you’d think.
You play airsoft? I’m Tori by the way. “ Tori says, lighting up a small black cigar.
“Never got the bug, but I’ve heard of it, and I’m Mike. “ I reply.
“Well Mike, I play, and it’s a great hobby. Lots of physical activity, lots of equipment to learn about, it’s got something for everyone. For the most part, it’s an exciting activity .
But, think of the factory that makes the plastic ammunition. It’s integral, but it’s cheap, easy to make, monotonous, and far removed from any of the interesting facets of the hobby.
That’s me. I brush up against all kinds of folks, but besides the little wrinkle your friend is dealing with, all of the real spooky shit is well past arm’s length. “ she coughs, the thick, cherry scented smoke hangs in rings, “ It’s a living. “
“Honestly, I couldn’t be happier.
I hear ‘ Shame Monger’ and I was thinking torture, and, I don’t know, ghosts maybe? “ I shrug, motioning for one of the cigarellos.
She gives me one, it tastes of rose and a rich, almost syrup like tobacco.
“Sorry to disappoint. No, extraction is pretty painless, uses a kind of blotter paper. And to the best of my knowledge, ghosts aren’t a thing.
As I said, things are safe and boring. “ Tori says, taking a seat on a black waist high stool.
I let her statement hang for a moment.
“So what’s with the big guy trying to blend in, waiting for me to leave the counter? And why did he come with 2 friends and a running engine? “ I say, low but casual.
I can tell she’s annoyed at my insight.
“That’s nothing horror adjacent. Just a good old fashioned shake down, cost of doing business.
He doesn’t know exactly what goes on here, but him and his associates know it’s profitable enough they can squeeze ten grand out of me a month. “ Tori shrugs, putting out her cigar.
“You can’t give someone a discount to rattle their cage? “ I ask, curious.
“Listen to you. “ Tori laughs, “If your butcher asked you to get shot for them, would you jump at the chance? “
I make eye contact, I can’t help but smirk.
“I’ve gotten shot for less. “ My comment gets a sideways look.
“Mike, I’m seeing you, and I’ve got to say, kinda seems like you’re full of shit. “ Her reply is harsh, but I can’t blame her. I’m dressed like salesman, facial scars or no.
I don’t reply. I walk to the grimy, dim, wet floored men’s room.
Someone who chooses my line of work doesn’t get into it because they have great impulse control. And unfortunately, I’m not unique .
Since I’ve got here, I’ve felt scared, small, ineffective. I know you guys have seen Kevin’s point of view on things, and it makes me seem like some kind of wrecking ball, but that is 50 per cent showmanship, 30 per cent planning and 20 per cent not caring if I lose a piece or two.
But this situation, some low rent semi-connected asshole who thinks he’s Don Corleone? It calls to me.
The clothing I wear is designed to be reversable, and with a few adjustments, I’m no longer wearing a cheap looking used car salesman’s suit, but an antique tuxedo with a 1940s design.
The mirror is grimy as hell, I try to clear a spot, but the sad, octogenarian Esque flow from the tap isn’t up to the task.
But it’s clear enough to reflect him, standing behind me. I jump, and my heart starts to pound.
“Not the time for this. “ I say, pacing.
I try to look away, but there he is, in the corner of my vision, each time. I’d close my eyes, but that’s what he wants, he gets closer when I can’t see.
For a half second my vision is taken up by a crystal clear image of his face. That angular, pale visage inhuman by any standard, but haunting in it’s echoes of a past rooted in mortality.
I stumble backward, slamming into the wall. Panting, my eyes locked on his almost-there form.
He’s tall, wicked, and everything about him exudes power. He’s taken to looking like me more and more lately. But a twisted, malignant reflection, what I could be if I let this pulp novel of a corner of reality have it’s way with me.
“Fuck off Demi! “ I say, getting to my feet, “ I’ve got shit to do. “
Still don’t know if he is just another hallucination, or who he says he is, but Demi and myself are on pretty poor terms as of late.
I hear the bodyless old ghoul whispering what I assume are dark threats as I open a small tube of what I like to refer to as ‘Mike’s Mix’.
A combination of preparation H, topical anesthetic, and just a hint of clown white. Laugh if you want, but it stops a hell of a lot of incidental injuries in my line of work.
Demi starts to fade and I see what I can of myself in the dull mirror.
I’m a little too old for the phrase, but I’m sure a lot of you folks out there would refer to the cliché spook I’ve cultivated as “Cringe”.
I don’t disagree.
But, it’s the game I have to play right now. I’m not some invincible cursed killer, but you know what, I can certainly play one on T.V.
(Did I just try to relate to kids, then make a joke from a 40 year old commercial? This is why Kev does the writing.)
I walk out of the bathroom, reeking of fear sweat and tainted water. The foot and a half lucite rod is tucked up my sleeve, I tap the end of it against the wall as I walk.
The guy is six feet, easily, he’s fifty or so, but making up for it with trips to the gym and a few friendly doctors if I don’t miss my guess.
He doesn’t take the bait, just keeps talking to Tori, once he looks to me, I can tell he is asking her who I am, she’s smart, she shrugs after looking over.
I had an entire plan where I would embarrass the man, get him to send some guys, and make things so costly he just gave up on Tori. It’s a classic, but if it ain’t broke and all that.
But plans, like the people that make them, tend to fail at the worst times.
Once I get within striking distance, the guy turns, his speed isn’t supernatural, but a lot more than I was expecting. His punch lands well enough that I don’t remember starting to fall.
The second finishes the job before I can get my bearings.
The darkness creeps in and in it’s peace I realize how stupid it was to go in this half cocked. I was jonesing for a fight I could win so badly, I went in without a plan B.
I need someone to reign me in, back home it was Eli, here, it’s Kev. As the last bits of conscious thought leave me, I feel bad about leaving him alone.
It's the stifling heat that wakes me up, before my vision clears I smell hot, cheap leather, old vomit and years worth of attempts to mask the smell.
I’m soaked in sweat, the air is like a sauna. I’m sitting in the back of a car, I wouldn’t call it a limo, but it’s clearly built for comfort, in optimal circumstances. There’s a tinted glass partition separating me from the front seat, it’s cracked slightly, I try to tell if anyone is there, but have no luck.
“Can’t say this is a new experience. “ I say, to whoever may be listening.
I try kicking out the windows and the partition, they don’t budge a millimeter.
“If you are up for talking things over, I’m game. “ I try to pry the overhead light loose, and that’s when I notice it.
It's a note, in a thick plastic sleeve, wrapped around my forearm and stuck with some kind of adhesive.
The pain is horrible, made all the worse by the constant pouring of sweat literally putting salt into the wound.
Said wound isn’t deep, a few layers of skin down, enough to weep blood, but far away from pouring. But if this kills me, it won’t be exsanguination. Depending on how long, whoever, plans on keeping me in here, I worry about infection, necrosis, pretty much all the members of the Untreated Wound crew.
I take off the suit jacket, and tear it into strips to use as makeshift bandages, I have a feeling I’ll be needing plenty by the time this is over.
My left arm is slow and clumsy as I open the envelope. I hope it’s just shock, or swelling, not nerve damage.
It reads:
Hey, Dracula, or whatever the hell you are.
Fuck yourself, you think we don’t have ways of taking care of your kind?
Have Fun
Niko Ferang
“Well, can’t say the guy isn’t succinct. “ I say, laughing.
If I just went up to the guy with a threat and a pipe, I’d have either won or lost, and that’d be the end of it. But my genius self succeeded in convincing him I was scary enough to toss me… here.
It dawns on me that there is something obvious I haven’t tried.
As I pull the latch on the passenger side door, something inside me tells me to stop.
Visually, I can’t really describe what it looked like opening the door. The brief period before I saw what was beyond was the visual equivalent of trying to catch a greased pig.
I was left with a view, an identical car interior. The other car parked impossibly close, Their doors seeming to blend with their exteriors.
I enter, as a great man once said “Buy the ticket, take the ride. “, and my dumb ass need for assurance, bought me one hell of a ride.
Once I get in, the driver’s side door closes, and I find myself in the same sweltering heat, in the same backseat.
The damp leather sticks to my arms, I start to calculate how much water I’m losing by the minute, and the math scares the hell out of me.
I try going through the door a few more times, but the more I do, the more I realize, it’s the same car.
The fear becomes as oppressive as the wet heat, I’ve researched a hell of a lot of things from the watchers library, but infinite Oldsmobiles didn’t come up.
I’ve been disarmed, but left with my phone, and wallet. I’m kind of impressed they managed to find 99 per cent of the equipment I can hide in a suit, but hey, %1 is better than nothing.
The phone makes a useless bludgeon, I quickly retire the idea, and figure, even neutered as it is ( I find I can get online, but little else.), it’s better doing phone things than broken.
The good news is frighteningly slim.
I’ve got a few feet of polymar tarp, folded in the wallet, useful for a lot of things, but most important in my situation will be trying to get some kind of drinking water.
An emergency credit card knife, barely useful little thing, won’t do me any good in a fight, but might be a useful tool.
Three strike anywhere matches, a small hook and length of fishing line.
My lips are cracked and bleeding, it can’t have been more than an hour or two, but I’m starting to feel heat exhaustion set in.
I think I’ve found something when the knife sinks into the thin leather of the overstuffed backseat, but the shoddy blade encounters some kind of solid matter, and as I pull the knife out, the leather seals itself.
I stay still, trying to conserve energy, trying to formulate some plan.
He sits beside me now, his looming hunched frame bent in the confines of the car. His face is a blur, but I know beneath the shadows he's smirking.
“I’m way too tired for you Demi. “ I say, wiping what feels like a liter of sweat from my forehead.
His repeating, echoing laughter proves me wrong, I shiver, despite the brutal heat.
It can’t have been more than a few degrees, bit It feels like getting splashed with ice water.
The light in the car begins to dim, and with it, the soul crushing temperature of the luxury automobile drops.
I scramble to set up the tarp, I was banking on this, without some kind of temperature drop, the plastic sheet is useless.
Within an hour droplets have began to create a small stream, collecting at the cone shaped tip of the suspended tarp. Lacking anything to put it into, I catch the liquid in my mouth.
It's foul, and likely contaminated, but it’s my only option. If I’m stuck in here a week I can get by without food, brutalized by heat, I won’t make it 2 days without water.
I feel exhausted, wondering exactly how long I’ve been stuck here I check the time on my phone.
It’s almost random progression does nothing to comfort the surreal sense of dread that is enveloping me.
I don’t know when I passed out, but I wake up laying across the reeking leather, being dragged backward.
I feel fingers, dozens of them, clawing, scraping, trying to gain purchase. A crevice begins to open in the deep black leather, and I begin to be dragged into it.
I throw myself forward, landing painfully on the sticky, grime ridden floor of the car.
Fear, and the awkward ergonomics of my situation make turning around a slow, nerve wracking chore. Once I manage to, I regret the decision.
Hands, some small, some large, some seemingly cobbled together from mismatched scraps, slowly pull themselves from the crevice between the seat and back of the back seat.
They prod and crawl like insects, none ever giving way to arm, just a lumpen flow of calloused, wrist like structure, giving each an segmented, centipede like appearance.
I sit up, watching the macabre display, trying to make some kind of sense of it.
I actually scream when there’s a sharp, loud, mechanical ringing beside my head. The type of analogue noise that went out of style long before land lines did.
It doesn’t take me long to find the handle and pull out an ancient car phone, it’s a two part wood paneled brick of a thing, I pick up the receiver, “Hello” I say, a question as much as a greeting.
The voice is male, probably early twenties.
“Don’t worry about them. They can be an issue if you don’t sleep on the floor, but I’ve never seen one drag itself more than half way across the seat. “ He’s calm, but has a survivors hushed impatience.
“Who are you? “ I ask.
“I won’t lie to you man.
I’ve been in here a while, but now that there is someone else, I think I can get out. Call me Pol. “ I catch the hopeful tone in his voice.
“How? “ I say simply, still trying in vain to put more space between me and the hands.
“Not to sound cold, but if I tell you, there is a chance you just take the information and leave me here.
The first step is us meeting, you’ll know the plan by the time that happens.
I don’t lie. “ If nothing else I can say Pol seems smart.
“Fair enough, what can I do? “ I Trail off at the end of my sentence, one of the hands is pointing at me.
“You need to understand a few things about this place.
First, don’t travel at night. Nothing you are going to find is going to be any better than the crawlers.
Second, remember the numbers, 1, 5 and 9. I’m assuming you have a watch, or a cellular phone? If the time ends in one of those, you’re likely to find a new space.
Last, what’s outside of the car, on the driver’s side, pretend it doesn’t exist. “ The instructions are cryptic, but I’m in no place to turn down good advice.
“How do I know I can trust you? “ I ask, knowing the answer.
“Don’t see how I could be anything other than what I say.
Wouldn’t it be pretty obvious if I was trying to lead you astray? “ Pol’s response is reasonable, but a lifetime of being blindsided makes me wary.
“I guess so. What should I be doing now? “ I say, flipping off the hand like thing that continues to point at me.
“Get some sleep. Time, day and night cycles, they mean nothing here, and passing out in a hundred and fifty degree weather is a shitty way to go.
I won’t be able to get through during the day, so listen carefully.
If you time your travel right, you are going to be looking for two main things. The first is going to be a pillow mint, eventually you are going to starve either way, the human body needs more than just sugar, but you should be able to find enough to keep you going till malnutrition kicks in. The second is a soda can, it’s a sip, and it’s turned, but it’s better than trying to lick the droplets from the windows. “ I listen to Pol, hopefully memorizing his instructions.
Daylight brings with it reek and heat, I watch the hands scuttle back to within the recesses of the seats, shuddering a bit as I see wave like, movements in the cushions.
“God damn it. “ I say looking at the display on my knock off phone. About %50, for all I know I’ll be out in 15 minutes, but I’m not banking on it.
I watch the numbers flash by like a stock ticker, waiting to see if Pol is trying to screw me over or not.
I see 1:39 and crack open the passenger side door.
The same sweltering heat, the same basic backseat, but I know, at a glance, things are not quite identical. Part repetition from the day before, part a decade and a half playing private eye, but I can tell Pol was telling the truth.
Lipstick, smeared on the passenger window, an old handprint. It seems like something bad happened here.
The leather of one of the headrests is torn, I purposely avoid looking at the certainly not stuffing inside.
It’s like this place wants to tell a story, I can’t help but try and hear it.
I don’t find any soda, but I do find a single, red and white pillow mint, wrapper mostly in tact, sitting in a sticky patch on the floor.
I try my luck a few more times, using the cell phone as a kind of metronome, and while I do get a lot of repetition, every so often, there is a little change, or quirk.
I’ve collected two pocketfulls of mints, and found myself desperately hoping to stumble upon anything to drink. Another night of distilled sweat, dust, and God knows what doesn’t seem appealing.
I must have been too slow opening the door, I’d done it over two hundred times at this point, and the grey haze of this new variation set off every danger instinct in me.
It felt like I was being watched from every angle, despite the gloom the heat was worse, and seemed to bake a fungal reek into the air itself.
The door handle on the passenger side is mangled, the steel colored plastic twisted into a useless lump.
The leather seems slightly rotten, weather stripping peels, light fixtures are cracked and loose, it feels very, old.
I watch the phone, my eyes instinctively darting around, there are noises from the front seat and I doubt they have my best interests in mind.
I’m trying the mangled door handle but something is broken.
That being, said, with a car this old, the fish hook, with enough persistence could work,
I Peel back some of the stripping around the window, te hook begins it’s slow trek down into the mechanics of the door.
I scratch my wounded arm, it hurts, but that isn’t what concerns me. I feel a small, irregular lump.
I peel back my makeshift bandages, and what I see attempts me make to vomit stomach contents that weren’t there.
Small, brown grey mushrooms, a half dozen, about the size of a grain of rice. I feel a tingling in the wound, and panic sets in.
Opening a door like this requires a steady hand, but between the noises in the front seat, and the literally budding body horror on my arm, my nerves are shot.
I hear the partition begin to lower, and that rotten, fungal reek becomes nearly a physical force. My eyes water, my nose runs, and I hear a noise, like flowing sand.
I feel the hook dig under the proper part of the lock and pull up as I feel something wet soak through my shoe.
The door opens violently, not that I’m upset, I toss myself forward like I’m going for a touchdown, my forehead slams off of the armrest in the newest backseat I find myself in.
Before the passenger side closes I catch a glimpse of the mess that spilled from behind the partition. Rot and flesh, an aborted rotten attempt at life enraged at the universe that spawned it.
I actually feel relief at the blinding sunlight, and shining leather, and find myself relating to the monsterous mass I left behind.
I look at my arm, realizing I didn’t leave all of it behind.
“Oh, fuck me. “ I say, fumbling the credit card knife together.
The mushrooms had doubled in size, the cheap tin knife makes a terrible scalpel, I scream as I err on the side of caution, flaying a half inch around each.
I’m bleeding heavily, half of the makeshift bandages barely keeping the flow at bay.
My vision swims, I feel sick, and I fight the urge to break down into a mentally and physically broken heap.
That’s where I’ll leave everyone. Night is falling, and without a little more help from Pol, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to last.
If this is the last time you hear from me, well I’m sure Kev will have you guys covered for the rest of what I hope is Art’s downfall.
If it isn’t, I’ve got a favor to ask, did you guys notice anything I didn’t? Is there anything that is more obvious from outside this displaced cluster fuck?
I am married with a family. My SO knows I have kinks and needs that cannot be met in our relationship as they're not something he's into, and that's fine. I met someone online, that lives on the other side of the world. I wasn't looking for anything when we met, but really hit it off with him. I didn't tell him I was married or had a family though, I was certain he would lose interest, so I kept it a secret for 4 years. So many times I wanted to tell him, but I was a coward and couldn't bring myself to do so. He discovered it by accident. But still wanted to continue our relationship.
About a year or so into knowing this person online he divulged that he has some very questionable kinks himself and he's been to prison for one of them, and is now on a specific list for life. At first I was appalled but I still loved him and I appreciated him telling me these things about himself, and yet I still couldn't come clean about myself.
We were both very, very toxic to and for each other. Abusive towards one another, in many different forms, that escalated on his part to physically.
Finally I flew out to meet him in person after all these years. We are both into some heavy kinks and played around with them my first night there. He then wanted me to apologize face to face to him for my lies and everything, and I wanted to, I am remorseful for everything I've done to him. I really did love him and I didn't want to lose him, but he didn't deserve that. I was very jet lagged from my 2 days of flying and not eating in nearly 36 hours and he had just finished using me and physically abusing me, all of which I know I deserve. But I couldn't get my head right to have the conversation right then, I was dizzy and my stomach was upset. I wanted to continue the following morning. He requested that I sleep with him in his bed, against my better judgement, and was woken several times in the night to him using my body for sexual gratification, which we had agreed to. When morning came he says he doesn't want to continue this relationship anymore, he doesn't believe I am remorseful for lying to him all that time. He says I am narcissistic and a psychopath, I'm not sure I agree with that though. He has been manipulative, and emotionally and psychologically abusive this whole time too, I can now see. He then asks me, out of the blue, if I need a ride or if I am calling a cab, as he's breaking up with me and wants me out of his apartment. I tell him I need a ride, so he drives me to the city and drops me off with my luggage, in a foreign country that I don't speak the language of. I have been trying to just get around here or there until my flight home.
Today was my first birthday without her and it was horrible. I knew it would be bad but didn't think it would be like this. I'm still NC with her but there was this hope that she'd reach out and just say "happy birthday, hope you're doing ok." Foolish and dumb I know it is. The breaking point was when I walked to Sheetz for some drinks and saw they had a new sprite flavor. Me and her always had a thing where we would try new foods or drinks together. Being together for seven years this happened a lot and was always something we used to look forward to. So out of instinct/habit I grabbed two of them and walked home. Opened the bedroom door and said. "Hey ***** I got us a new drink to try together like always!" Then looked at my bed and realized for the umpteenth time that I'm alone and she wasn't there. Then started bawling my eyes out and started shaking and having uncontrollably shallow breaths and passed out. Woke up on my tear stained pillow for the hundredth time so far and now I just feel completely down in the dumps. Gonna try to play some borderlands the pre sequel or enter the Gungeon to get my mind off it. But overall this was just horrible. It being my birthday of all days. A day where me and her used to do fun stuff together hurts even worse. I don't hate her or even dislike her. I still love her and hope she is happy wherever she is right now. Maybe she will even read this who knows. Hope you guys have a better birthday than I did though. :/
I’m a 33 yr old male i weigh nearly 13 stone and I’m 5”3 ( short dude ) and over the last 2 years after a surgery and stopping smoking .. and a sudden diagnosis of a vertigo and balance disorder I literally piled on the pounds. I used to weight 8 stone. I looked at myself in the mirror the other day and couldn’t take it anymore. I need to lose weight , but I’m limited on what I can do due to balance. I mean I can walk and will walk everywhere . And that’s something I’ve started making a habit of, but it’s the food that’s my major issue. I eat carbs crabs carbs relentlessly, I’ve packed in all sugary drinks and drink only water but I have a low paying job and can’t afford fancy dietary meals , I just need a little guidance on what meals to have in a day, can I do fruit for breakfast instead of a full English? Salads for lunch? Or a sandwich for lunch and a salad for dinner? I just have no sense of direction and when my fiancé ( whom I love dearly ) agreed that I finally need to get this under control that was enough for me to finally take the step.
My dad's house was horrible, floor sinking in, water under house, eventually we got it fixed up, sealed, and the entire house remodeled, recently we had roaches, we got a few traps and placed them around the house, (medium black traps, they eat and die at the nest) , we found another issue was our dogs food being out, we put it up every night. Our cat food stays out, for some reason the roaches don't eat it, or care about it. Today, I killed what looks to be a type of baby cockroach in my blanket, and right now I'm scared if I untangle my blankets there's gonna be a big cockroach in it, unless the baby was alone. Then tonight, I see a big roach on my wall near my room, it ran away under the coach, then my brother found the same one or a diff one, near his area, then I see another roach, kill it. Then see another big black cockroach going in our cabinets then my brother calls me out, and I see like 3 roaches, and 1 of them, starts flying, ran in my room, covered the bottom of my door, and yea, killed a baby in my blanket, should I turn my ac unit on, I heard roaches like hot rooms and not cold rooms
I have depression and anxiety issues already but with BB, I’m ready to just let my life go. I’m okay with that because dying has to be more peaceful than living with this. It has consumed me. I’ve tried so many things. Nothing has worked.
People here say they’re cured and then go on to say that they have to follow a strict regimen of cutting out foods and oral/gut care. To me, that isn’t a cure but a treatment. I am becoming resigned to the fact that there is no cure for me and I am not willing to treat this for the rest of my life because what I am doing already to keep it at bay is so time consuming and draining for me.
It just kinda sucks because I’m an otherwise healthy, young guy who’s had to run away from every opportunity because of this. I want to do good things in this world and I feel like I have so much to offer the world but I just can’t get past this. I don’t mean to be a downer but I’m just really done with it. I feel bad for my family and it kills me to think what it’ll do to them but the suffering must come to an end. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to lead this lonely life of self rejection.
long read.
I am almost 27 years old and I have achieved nothing in this life. I have no education, no job, no money, I live in a terrible unpromising small town, without friends and acquaintances. I don't have any hobbies, I sit at home alone all day. My parents died, and only my grandmother and my sister support me. I don't know how to get out of this life at all, I'm tired of everything and sometimes from despair there are bad thoughts about ending life. All my attempts to change anything failed, I lost large sums of money for me several times, I was robbed once. Now I'm left with almost no money, I have the last $ 800 in my pocket and I don't know what to do next. I don't have any opportunities to earn money. There is no work without a specialty in my city, and salaries everywhere are such that they will only be enough for food and housing and communal services. Even if you find at least some kind of job, it will be a vicious circle from which there will be no way out, it will be a job from paycheck to paycheck with zero prospects.
Yes, for many people, everything is much worse in life, but everything is relative. I have been in a state of "neither alive nor dead" for many years, I live by inertia.
I just exist all day and can't do anything, apathy eats me up from the inside.
I don't expect to get some kind of super plan to change my life here, but I would like to hear at least some useful advice that will help me at least a little.
(33F) Hi docs, I went to my doctor's 2+ weeks ago regarding a really painful feeling on my wrist area, and my doctor told me I have tendinitis (specifically De Quervain's tenosynovitis). She had me make the fist gesture where I tuck my thumb underneath my four fingers, and bend it away from me, and yeah that's exactly where it hurts. This is on my dominant right hand. Anyway, she told me to wear a thumb spica splint, so I bought one that's 3M brand from CVS, and she advised me to take Aleve or Advil up to 6 times a day, so no prescribed painkillers needed.
My question is, I do remove my brace whenever I use the restroom, eat food, and/or shower because I don't want to get my brace dirty. However, I notice that whenever I stop wearing it, my hand is very, very stiff. I was wondering can I stretch my thumb/hand? Does stretching and/or massaging the injured area make it worse, or don't do that at all? This was something I forgot to ask my doctor.
Another thing is before, I would feel something like my tendon snapping or rubbing back and forth whenever I tried to move my thumb. That snapping feeling is no longer there, however it feels a bit more painful now and looks more swollen than last week. I did start using lidocaine patches, which I'm not sure if it was working. Then I just switched to Salonpas patches for that icy hot feeling (this started like 1.5 days ago), but I'm not sure if that would help (OR if that caused the swelling).
Any advice appreciated, please and thank you! I just feel so bad having my coworker take care of my physical tasks at work, and even my boyfriend is helping me do laundry. I am also currently practicing to use my toothbrush with my left hand, restroom (wiping) with my left hand, chopsticks, driving, etc.
Worked at a carbon fiber parts production company through a temporary work contract. Here's how things went. I interviewed and the interviewer said I was "too perfect". The company offered me a position I didn't apply for. I took their offer.
I met the lead of the neighboring department and he left and then immediately told others I was nervous which I thought was weird.
The coworkers and boss told me I dressed extremely well for the job and I recieved an abundance of compliments about my attire. I decided to return some basic compliments like "Nice jacket" and "Cool shoes" and was pulled into hr, because someone felt targeted by my compliments. So I told human resources I would no longer compliment anyone's attire. I still recieved an abundance of compliments so I stopped wearing nice clothes and wore basic clothes instead.
Turns out I was really good at the spot I was in and had a significantly low margin of mistakes compared to others before me. They were really behind in the department I was in. After six weeks I had finished all the work in the department that piled up so my coworker in the department and I were cross trained in other departments. My trainer had grinded several previous bits into other parts and spent several hours making non work related projects for fun on the clock. I never did that.
During cross training two coworkers jokingly threw projectiles at me and then complained to my boss when I told them to knock it off. One thrown object was a sqaure of sandpaper thrown ninja star style that hit me in the face nearly knicking me in the eye and the other was a ball of tape. The lead in the department I trained for complained that I was hostile after he asked me to leave and I said "You said that" He complained to hr.
As I was telling my departments coworker my boss came up to me and asked me what happened and apparently the lead and I's story didn't line up. Apparently, he and the other coworkers that threw projectiles at me complained afterwards. I explained the lead kept putting me down while I kept making sure the conversation steered towards mutual happiness. Afterwards the following day I was given a new task which I performed quickly and easily. I was informed the lead wasted time and didn't meet deadlines. He told me I was slowing his department down even though we accomplished more tasks that I voluntarily assisted after completing my own work.
Then they told me to empty filters outside in the open air, that's a Environmental protection agency violation.
After four weeks I requested a referral based on work performance for a different job opportunity from my boss in Alaska. My boss called me selfish and and gaslight me with his need for a rock solid team calling me a non team player. Then said he couldn't hold it against me. I used him as a reference anyway because he seemed somewhat nice but I think he ruined the offer, all my non boss references were met with positivity by the company boss offering the job, after all that, he was gonna take me till I realized he was choosing an unsafe team of three people to work on the bearing sea, two of which had never been on the barring sea, I mentioned to make a safe decision and he chose a more experienced fisherman for the job, he then told me to visit him if i'm ever at Kodiak. Great guy, was awesome talking to him.
After talking to the guy that threw sandpaper at me he told me he wanted to take his kids camping but needed some things, I offered him a camping stove to use whenever he went camping.
I then attempted to re-hang a fallen conduit because the department members I was cross training with told me they'd tripped over the conduit repeatedly and to be careful and after a month and a half no electrician had been called. I grinded a screwdriver for the Philips head bit to use in a screwdriver because we didn't have any bits but an excess of screwdrivers in the same size. My trainer had trimmed bits to his needs several times before me. I have basic electrical experience but was just performing basic drywall installation so that me and the other workers were safe after such a long period of time without safety correction.
I bought my trainer that had terrible money management skills food when he couldn't afford any a handful of times and took him to the food bank on lunchbreak because he had never gotten food from a foodbank before and was skipping breakfast and lunch because he was so broke. I even helped him make the decision to not move into an alcoholic BPD afflicted person's home when asked for advice. and shared knowledge about making his apartment safe when he had CPS issues. He likes his new space greatly.
We went fishing even! Met his girlfriend and him for a fishing adventure and they told me they like me. He didn't have the resources to properly clean his apartment for a CPS investigation so I offered assistance. He didn't have transportation to the bank so I offered to drive him their during lunch. He gave me a drill press and welding mask as a way to get rid of excess clutter in his apartment. I offered to jump another coworkers car and I brought food to an after work weekly social event. I was helping put together a BBQ for work.
Today I was informed my work assignment with the company was ended by hr and my boss. I reported the carbon fiber filter dumping to the EPA and will have a new assignment from my agency on Monday. My roommate offered me an apprenticeship and reference to his company paying several more dollars per hour.
Hi all, after roughly half a year on estradiol and spiro I began to notice some recurring headaches and near-fainting in the shower. Long story short it got a lot worse and eventually I ended up in the ER because I was having issues breathing, pressures in my face and jaw, bad fatigue, walking and being upright, numbness in face and hands, tingling feelings like when your arm falls asleep, stomach cramps and general GERD symptoms.
I've been off both medications for since late January now. I took Omeprazole for 2 weeks to help with the GERD but I'm still having some issues. I developed a really stiff neck as well as back pain after stopping the medications too. While the back pain got better, my neck got worse and so did my GERD symptoms. I still have headaches too, and this weird unstable and shifting feeling when I am walking around sometimes. The best way to describe it is it literally feels like something physically changes with my feet or legs (shifty feeling) sometimes and I feel like I'm gonna fall.
Needless to say, these symptoms are very strange (among other things). My primary care and Planned Parenthood doctors don't know what to make of it and I can't see a specialist until September. So I just wanted to ask if anyone has had any issues even remotely similar to me, particularly with GERD? If it matters, I took 1mg estradiol twice a day and 50mg spiro twice a day for 3 months. the other roughly 3-4 months were double that, for both medications.
I hope I am doing this correctly as I have never posted on here before. So there is a recall out for my truck, it is for the fuel delivery system. Pretty major part of any vehicle. Well it’s been over a year and they still do not have parts. I am still paying on this truck, that is barely getting any power, it’s basically dehydrated. You can tell as I am driving or even as it’s running and idling. This has also caused problems with the transmission as when the transmission goes to switch gears, and my truck should be accelerating it is just idling. Think your vehicle switches gears, normally you’d accelerate, mine loses power, gas petal is useless for roughly 5 seconds then it’ll kick in, then by this time my transmission is down shifting due to my loss in speed but now that I’m accelerating it has to change gears again. I have tried contacting the manufacturer, who rerouted me to my local dealership, who then told me to check my mail because they will mail me something when they get parts. I tried explaining my problems to both. My truck is now in the shop due to this issue. I don’t know what to do. Ever since the problems came up, and the dealership and manufacturers didn’t really help me out, I have been having my truck checked regularly so I have documentation(use shop for work vehicles so when I come pick up a company vehicle, they’ll inspect my truck for me since it’s just sitting there). Anyways, I’m not sure what to do. I have reports from over the last year on how this recall is affecting my truck negatively. It’s only getting worse. And they still do not have parts. If I get the recall fixed myself could I get reimbursed? What about the damage it has caused to other components of my truck? What if it just keeps ruining it more and more? Will they replace it even though it’s not a “safety recall”(even though it is a safety hazard due to power loss)? Has anyone ever been through getting a vehicle replaced due to a recall? I’m just lost. I don’t know what to do.
Hi everyone. About 6 months ago I had an acute onset of symptoms which was complex ptsd (diagnosis officially received) rearing it’s full on ugly head just as I am approaching 40 years old. I am receiving psychological care from an EMDR specialist who also uses IFS
Suddenly the past nearly 40 years starts to make sense. The suicide attempts (without really being depressed), the constant break up of friendships (not a single friend to my name now), the fear of coming across as vulnerable (I made myself as physically unappealing as possible). Yet the drive and ambition ( successful career on the outside), the fact I appear to look like I’m popular and functioning (masking like a pro), the ability to forget anything that’s not helpful to me (goodbye memories of prolonged terror)
I am struggling. I am drowning. But I am desperate to survive. And to actually live.
But I realised what a mess I am as an adult. I want to learn and do things other people do. I want to be surrounded by people and have fun. I want friends. Just one friend. I don’t want people to be afraid of me at work (sure I’m successful but my reputation is the Iron Lady which is part cool and so extremely sad).
So whilst therapy is happening I am just desperate to learn things that maybe other people already know?
Am I crazy? Does anyone else feel like they are not an adult?
Where can I learn how to make friends? I’m comfortable socially talking to people but I can’t get others to accept my invites for a get together (even a casual coffee) or get invited to things. I’m doing something wrong I know it. I don’t know what. I am extremely lonely.
How does an adult woman who never wore make up or managed her hair learn how to do this? Or how to dress? I’m embarrassed to ask this. Please be kind.
What is it about me that means normal people can tell I am a red flag. Does anyone else have this experience? (Partly rhetorical since obviously you don’t know me)
I don’t know how to buy a house. I have sufficient capital. I get overwhelmed with anything to do with money. I’m bad at adult-ing despite being a ‘competent professional person’
Please be kind. I know some of these questions are probably just because of where I am at with my journey but I’m desperate. I want to live. I don’t want the next 40 years to be like this