Hi all,
Lots of you have sent me cards at the end of 2023 and into 2024 (how are we almost in June?!!). I'm way behind on humaning so I have lots of thanks to share, in no particular order:

• u/melhen16 x 3 - you sent me something around Christmas time. I love your use of vintage stamps. Be on the lookout for some reply mail in the post. The second card in my stash of outstanding thank yous is filled with wonderful factoids about Olympic National Park, none of which I knew previously. Ok, this is really pathetic how far behind I am. Card 3 from you discusses post-retirement endeavors. What did you end up doing?
• u/pink_drop - thanks for your pre-Thanksgiving card talking about shelter doggos. I appreciate the goodies you included and will be using them to create more outbound mail.
• u/slavkan12 - you sent me a wonderful postcard around Halloween asking about my plans. Truth is, Halloween isn't a big deal for me. I tend to avoid costume parties and now that I'm an adult I really don't need tons of candy. It is fun seeing the neighborhood kiddos while they're out Trick or Treating.
• u/lyubitza13 - did you get in to the master's program in Poland you applied to? You asked for a book recommendation an today's suggestion is A Long Petal of the Sea by Isabel Allende
• mystery sender - you sent me something in September 2023, including a treat from your niece's pirate-themed birthday party. I hope your home school adventures have been great this year.
• mystery sender - I loved your quote "art becomes art when it is shared." and the photo postcard you used to illustrate that point is just wonderful.
• u/rand_ston - thank you for your great description of what happiness means to you. Re-reading them now is a good reminder to frame things differently.
• u/pozzledC - Thank you for sharing your wonderful stories of Girl Guide experiences. How do you find it being a leader now? The wonderful art you made on the face of the card is breathtaking. It's a great reminder that beauty exists.
• u/mcdeekey - your summer in the Black Forest must have been amazing. We haven't had a proper holiday in a long time but a couple of weeks ago my husband and I met up with some friends and had a wonderful evening of dinner and a live concert.
• u/mynameiscandycain - I'm sorry you ended up with the Florida hurricane last August. We're gearing up for another active hurricane season this year. I like the storms but don't like the damage they can leave behind.
• u/awachob - your adorable spider web thank you is so cute that I don't even mind the image of spiders it conjures. I'm so glad you enjoyed the Star Trek card.
• u/tigerlady13 - you sent me a wonderful New Year Card and baking recipe that I haven't yet tried but is in my list of new things to test out this year. It's been a rough several months mentally but I think I'm finally starting to come out of the fog. Thanks for thinking of me!

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If anyone's in Brussels and interested in joining me at the concert tomorrow, I have a spare ticket that I'm willing to give away!

Hi! Just wanted to thank everyone for all of the support on my last post, the days have been passing by easier since then. 🥹🫶🏻
Day 14 today, my counts started going up a few days ago! Neutrophils pranked me a little (0,00→0,05→0,00→0,02→0,04 today) but otherwise, everything else has been going up pretty well, hemoglobin and platelets especially! Still got pain obviously, and god awful issues with my bowel movements, but I'm managing! Optimistic for once in my life.
I realized that the only people who know my story are my doctors and part of my family. I love reading other people's stories, it makes me feel less alone (feel free to share yours if you want!), so I figured I'd share. I'll keep it brief.
Everything started with a cold that took a suspiciously long time to heal which left me with a really bad cough (that took 3 months to go away, my doctors tried everything 😭). Tiredness (5h naps during the day wouldn't cut it) turned into faiting episodes. Wounds wouldn't heal, bruises would appear. Swollen lymph nodes and gums. My last memory before getting the blood tests that changed my life was helping kindergartners (Vocational HS section where I'm basically learning to be a daycare teacher) explore a forest. In heels, without water and with no food in my stomach... Man, I really thought I could do anything. Sweet memory I cherish though.
After I got a few blood tests (I only remember my iron being 4x the amount it should've been, WBC 24k + 60% blasts) done we got a call from the lab to go to the hospital and re-do them. The hospital wouldn't re-do them because they said the results are clear, I've leukemia. The poor doctor started crying. I remember my reaction, “Leukemia? But I'm only 16.” (And now I'm turning 17 at the end of the month, how time flies) Saw a pediatric onco-hematologist on Monday. Said it looked like AML (later on found out it's "high risk, M4" but I don't exactly know what that entails) there's treatment available, said my dad can't stay as my caretaker (which I didn't understand then but I thank her for now), and then she left. She's not exactly very talkative...
Next day I got a portacath, and started investigations pre-chemo. Thankfully everything looked fine, hadn't spread to my brain, my lungs and heart were fine, basically everything was okay otherwise. Started chemo. Didn't go into remission after induction (I think I was at around 11% blasts) but went into full remission after second round. Two more rounds of chemo, then a SCT with my mom as the donor.
Now I'm looking forward to the future (although I'm also terrified of it and of the long term effects that I know I'll have to deal with). If everything goes well, my doctors have said I could maybe return to school at the start of September, which would be perfect for me since that's when the school year starts. It's genuinely my only wish. I value school so much, I know it seems ridiculous, but I studied a lot, got pretty good grades, even went to the national English olympics in 9th grade. My teachers have been very understanding too. I hope I'll be able to return, but I'll do whatever my doctors say. I don't want to set my expectations too high. I miss my teachers a lot. Also my cat, but she's having fun on the countryside! Meet Șoarec
The only thing I haven't been able to cope with is the less understanding people, haha. It really be your own family sometimes. Mom is my caretaker and although she's super sweet, she can be very rude about my pain, and pressuring me to eat/drink. Dad told me “God punished me and that's why I got leukemia” which left me stunned, I've been thinking about that for a month. Also the occasional “Oh, what's leukemia? Is it like, gamer over for you?” or “RIP” reaction when I tell someone my diagnosis. I'm gonna work these issues out in therapy though...
Hope this isn't too long or trauma-dumpy haha! Just wanted to share, this community has been very kind & helpful and I definitely wish I would've joined sooner.

I am getting older and older and I’m unwilling to really confront the problems in my life that plague my mind constantly. They terrify me and I’m all alone in that fear. I lie constantly to everyone I know because I’m afraid of losing my facade of happiness and normality.
So I’ve stagnated and become more and more depressed over the years, to the point where suicide feels like the inevitable best option for me. I won’t do it tonight but I know that logically I should soon.
Before that would happen, I’d need to disappear and disconnect from everyone in my life who cares about me, to hurt them the least that I can. Maybe by going deep into a national forest somewhere. Ultimately I’m in too much pain to keep going just for them, as selfish as that is.

/LonghornNation Daily Off Topic Free Talk Thread

Today: 5/14/2024

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Your go-to place to talk about whatever you want. From the dumb shit aggies do on a near daily basis, to the latest whatever happening wherever. What ya got?

Here's a look at upcoming Longhorn Sporting Event(s):

1. 5/14 7:30 AM University of Texas Men's Golf vs NCAA Regional Championship
2. 5/15 7:30 AM University of Texas Men's Golf vs NCAA Regional Championship
3. 5/16 4:00 PM University of Texas Men's Tennis vs Tennessee
4. 5/16 6:30 PM University of Texas Baseball vs Kansas
5. 5/17 University of Texas Women's Golf vs NCAA Championships
6. 5/17 3:00 PM University of Texas Softball vs Siena
7. 5/17 6:30 PM University of Texas Baseball vs Kansas

Trending on Reddit

/All

1. The size comparison between a female and male Kodiak bear
2. Artist fills landscape of a photo by hand
3. My kid (11) lost points on his extra credit assignment because it was “bent”
4. TIL in 2020, five Lithuanian soldiers went missing during a graduation exam. Thinking the exercise was still ongoing, they successfully evaded all attempts to find them. A military spokesman said their performance was "exemplary."
5. “If you don’t like paying taxes, make billionaires pay their fair share and you would never have to pay taxes again.” —Warren Buffett

/CFB

1. /CFB Donates $18,000.00 to Toys For Tots & Children's Hospitals, thanks to the 8th annual Holiday Drive!
2. UW and Oregon football fans join forces to raise money for young girl with cancer
3. [McMurphy] UNC trustee Dave Boliek is "advocating" for UNC to join a higher-revenue league. "That's what we need to do," Boliek said. "We need to do everything we can to get there. Or the alternative is the ACC is going to have to reconstruct itself. I think all options are on the table"
4. [Canzano] Oregon State and Wazzu have kept in communication with the Big 12 since last August. OSU AD Barnes said of the Big 12: "We want to continue to foster relationships there. That is certainly part of the strategy." Look for more tentacles of the relationship to develop in the coming months.
5. Colorado-Nebraska Week 2 will be played on NBC at 6:30pm
6. 3 FOX Big Noon Games announced

/LonghornNation

1. [5/13/2024] Monday's Sports Talk Thread
2. [5/13/2024] Monday's Free Talk Thread
3. 2025 3* OL Jackson Christian commits to Texas
4. Texas returns to the D1Baseball rankings, at #25
5. SEC announces opponents and locations for 2024-25 Men’s Basketball schedule
6. NCAA Softball
7. [Post Series Thread] ⚾ Texas defeats UCF, 2-1

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Hear ye, the word which the LORD speaketh unto thee, O’ House of God. Thus saith the LORD, ‘you have learned the ways of the heathen, dismayed by the signs of heaven, just as the heathen are dismayed by the WORD of the LORD. For, your customs are in vain, as one cutteth a tree out of the forest, only to lay it waste. Behold, the workman of your house uses an axe, fashioning it in harlotry, decking it with silver and gold, fastening it with hammer and nails, that it moveth not. You claim to be upright, but speak not as such, your deeds are full of scorn, and you cannot enter MY HOUSE, ALL ISRAEL. You should be afraid, because you do evil in my sight, neither do you do good.’ There is no other like you my LORD, thou art great, and thy NAME is mighty. Who would not fear thee, Master of the Universe? There is no other like you. Neither king, queen, prince or pastor, for, they all fall short of thee, and the priest shall come unto me, and know thy WORD is LOVE. For, they are altogether, both pastor and priest, brutish and foolish, their doctrines are scorn and full of vanity. Silver is spread onto their plate, gold has become their entrails, crimson red, pale blue and leaven white is their clothing, and they are all working for cunning men, lying in deceit for riches and recognition. But, the LORD is the true GOD, for, He is living, an everlasting KING, and at His wrath ye shall tremble, and ye shall not be able to abide His indignation. Thus, even ye shall say God has made heaven and earth, but, ye shall perish from the earth, and from under heaven. For, He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by His discretion. When He uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth, He maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of His treasures. For, His voice will shout, in the coming of our Lord, the WORD, Jesus Christ, a multitude of nations will hear Him, and He will cause those in folly, to descend to the depths of the earth, like ashes in a smoldering fire. The two horns will break, the false prophet is brutish in his knowledge of death, and every founder is confounded by the graven images they made, and the image of the beast is molten and false, for, there is no life in it, or them and the words they speak. They are vanity, the work of errors, for, their way has become desolate, and in the time of their visitation, they shall perish in their covenant made with death. The portion of God’s Son is not for them, neither from former nor new, did they walk the path of their inheritance, for, the LORD bears the Name of the righteous, a song they will hear no more. Gather up thy wares, inhabitants of Mystery Babylon. For, thus saith the LORD, ‘I will sling out the inhabitants of the land at this once, and will distress them, that they may find it so.’ Woe is me for my burden, my words bring me grief. For, she was once my place of refuge and calm, truly I am grieved, my GOD, but I must bear this burden in praise that I am saved. The church has been spoiled, cords have been broken and children have strayed, and they are not His anymore. The tent cannot be stretched, and the curtains have been drawn shut, none to enter forevermore. For, the pastors and priests have become brutish, and have not sought the LORD, therefore they shall not prosper, and all their flocks shall be scattered, from hill to mountain, valley and ravine. Behold, the Judge cometh, and a great tumult bear down on them, and in the far north country of the land, shall the Bride hide from the den of dragons, and be spared of the desolation to come. My LORD, the way of man is not himself, and the church has fallen prey to Satan, directing their steps. Correct me, my GOD, judge me, without anger, lest thou bring me to naught. For, you will pour out your fury on the harlot, and all the earth shall see, that you are the ONE TRUE GOD. Amen. Hear ye now, what the LORD saith, ‘come forth and come out of her my people, from the mountains and hills, valleys and ravines, hear my voice.’ Hear ye, kingdoms of the world, foundations of earth and sea, for, the LORD hath controversy with His people, they have become harlots in His sight, and He will plead to her for His Bride in violence and spoil. He saith, ‘O my people, what have I done unto thee? And, wherein have I wearied thee? You testify against me!’ For, He had brought you out of Israel, sent forth into the nations as a witness, redeemed by the blood of His Son, His servants have been wearied and worn in keeping you straight, but, you have digressed and adorned yourself with jewels and gems, gold with brazen silver and purple cloth, adorning yourselves like kings in place of the true living KING. Serving Baal cloaked in riches, consulting with demons in place of righteousness, your doctrines are but filth to Him, leaven in the lump as tears fall from the face of Jezebel. God requires, justice, love, mercy, humility and steadfast trust in His ways, but, you have treaded self-serving commandments of men, that bring desolation to His House. The nations hiss at you, and your love for them has been forgotten. The LORD is not pleased, and in His infinite wisdom, the rod of justice shall come down for correction, for, He hath appointed this, and the time is at hand. They will be measured for their wickedness they have brought into His house, and they are an abomination to Him, for, their scantness has polluted the whole body therein. The balance has been weighted towards harlotry, for, the body is made up of many members, and if one has become wicked, the whole lot is full of scorn and deceit. For, the rich men thereof are full of violence, and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies, and their tongue is deceitful in their mouth, and the body must be made anew in violence and persecution. Therefore, the LORD will make thee sick in your sin, smiting them across thy foreheads and hands, desolation to come for the abomination you have brought into His house. Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied, and the harlot shall be cast down in place of thee, delivered unto Satan by the sword of righteousness, the BRANCH. You shall reap what you have sown. He will remove the anointing oil from thee, no longer a sweet wine once poured on the altar of love, and thou shall thirst forevermore, for, the statuettes of the LORD shall remain, and the works of Jezebel shall be known to all the nations, because you have walked in her ways, and He will make thee desolate, as a reproach for His remnant to come. This is the word for the LORD.

Hi all,
Looking to buy my first new bike and want to go the gravel route.
Looking at the Specialized E5, Giant Revolt 2, and the Salsa Journeyer Apex 1 or the Salsa Journeyer Sora.
I intend to use the gravel bike primarily for long rides on dirt roads in national forests and racing. Likely a little bit of bike packing but bike packing is secondary.
I’m trying to figure out which bike to buy. Right now I’m thinking of buying a “base level” bike and can upgrade components as I get more into biking. If I can find something on sale that is Orignally $2k-$2.5k might be attainable as I’m selling a used road and gravel bike to help pay for the new bike.
Thanks for the input! It’s fun to talk shop about bikes and I don’t have lot of people to talk to.

Looking for pro tips and recommendations on my upcoming plan.
In August 2026, I will retire from my career at the age of 38 and take an initial six month sabbatical to travel with my family (wife and two kids). In 2026 my kids will be 12 years old (7th grade) and 7 years old (2nd grade) and we plan on using Acellus Academy.
The following is my first draft of the six month itinerary. I must admit that I thinks it’s a bit too much at this point but would only refine it from here on out and most likely cut things and stay at places a bit longer. Remember first draft.
I would love any recommendations and or feedback. We are pretty set on the school and will try it as a summer school tool in order to get my kids used to Acellus Academy. I know that two years out may seem like a far out timeline but in my life, time flies by really fast.
Also pretty key to this would be a monthly budget of $5000 to $6000 USD.
Here is the full 6-month family vacation itinerary:

1. Costa Rica (August - September 2026):
   
   • San Jose (2 weeks)
     • Stay in Barrio Amón or Barrio Escalante ($400-$600/month Airbnb)
     • Visit Pre-Columbian Gold Museum, Mercado Central, National Theater
     • Day trip to Poás Volcano National Park
   • Arenal/La Fortuna (4 weeks)
     • Stay in El Castillo or El Forti ($500-$700/month Airbnb)
     • Hike Arenal Volcano National Park, go ziplining, hot springs
     • Visit La Fortuna Waterfall, whitewater rafting Balsa River
   • Manuel Antonio (4 weeks)
     • Stay in Manuel Antonio or Quepos ($500-$800/month Airbnb)
     • Explore Manuel Antonio National Park, surfing, beaches
     • Day trip to Rainmaker Conservation Park, sportfishing
2. Peru (October - November 2026):
   
   • Cusco (4 weeks)
     • Stay in San Blas or Santa Ana ($400-$600/month Airbnb)
     • Plaza de Armas, Qoricancha Temple, Sacsayhuaman ruins
     • Day trip to Sacred Valley, markets like Pisac
   • Aguas Calientes (2 weeks)
     • Stay in town center ($300-$500/month Airbnb)
     • Hike Inca Trail or train to Machu Picchu
     • Hot springs, tour of Machu Picchu ruins
   • Lima (2 weeks)
     • Stay in Miraflores or Barranco ($400-$700/month Airbnb)
     • Plaza de Armas, Larco Museum, Miraflores boardwalk
     • Pachacamac archaeological site
3. Ecuador (December 2026 - January 2027):
   
   • Quito (4 weeks)
     • Stay in La Mariscal or La Floresta ($500-$800/month Airbnb)
     • Old Town, Basilica, TelefériQo cable car
     • Cotopaxi National Park, Mindo Cloud Forest
   • Galapagos Islands (4 weeks)
     • Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz ($600-$1000/month Airbnb)
     • Guided tours, giant tortoises, marine iguanas, wildlife
     • Snorkeling, diving, beaches like Tortuga Bay
   • Baños (2 weeks)
     • Stay in town center ($400-$600/month Airbnb)
     • Pailon del Diablo waterfall, hiking mountains
     • Ziplining, rafting, canyoning
4. Brazil (February - March 2027):
   
   • Rio de Janeiro (4 weeks)
     • Copacabana or Ipanema ($600-$900/month Airbnb)
     • Christ Redeemer, Sugarloaf, Copacabana Beach
     • Favela tour, samba show
   • Foz do Iguaçu (2 weeks)
     • Near Brazilian Falls ($400-$600/month Airbnb)
     • Iguazu Nat'l Park, boat under falls
     • Bird Park, Itaipu Dam
   • Manaus (4 weeks)
     • City center ($500-$800/month Airbnb)
     • Amazon Rainforest tour, piranha fishing
     • Meeting of Waters, Municipal Market
5. Argentina (April - May 2027):
   
   • Buenos Aires (4 weeks)
     • Palermo or San Telmo ($500-$800/month Airbnb)
     • Plaza de Mayo, La Boca, Recoleta Cemetery
     • Tango show, Tigre Delta day trip
   • El Calafate (2 weeks)
     • Near town center ($400-$600/month Airbnb)
     • Perito Moreno Glacier, Los Glaciares Nat'l Park
     • Boat tour of icebergs
   • El Chalten (2 weeks)
     • Town center ($400-$600/month Airbnb)
     • Hike Fitz Roy, Cerro Torre in Los Glaciares
     • Ice hiking, glacier tours
   • Mendoza (3 weeks)
     • Mendoza City ($400-$700/month Airbnb)
     • Winery/wine tours in Uco Valley, Lujan de Cuyo
     • Hiking, horseback riding in Andes foothills

Family has a cabin bordering on the Lassen National Forest in California. We had an amazing grant program that came in and cleared a lot of fire hazards and dead/down left by contractors. With that, it opened up a lot of the property, where I want to add more local flora to the land including grasses, wildflowers and low-growing shrubs that would be an added value to the ecosystem as well as erosion control on varying slopes. I'm already working with a database from Lassen Volcanic National Park on local flora for all of the above, along with getting some photos of certain shrubs for plant identification that we may want to grow.
We are on a south-facing slope with high-slope parts that I wanted to see what would work best for that. I wanted to avoid buckthorn-type shrubs that are thorny and could be a pain if someone got tangled up in it. We have a variety of sun and shade on the property. The soil is rather rocky and rife with duff, which makes it slippery . I also wanted to know if there are any good planting ideas with grass, etc. that might help reduce slip.
What would you recommend for something like that? Any lessons learned with similar projects? Or perhaps would there be other subreddits that might better fit this? hank you all in advance!

Hello, I have been to Japan 1 time around 5 years ago before Covid. I spent the full time in Tokyo with the exception of one night around Mt. Fuji. I will be traveling with a friend this month, we are both Male and it is his first time. Most of my questions are regarding Kyoto, specifically how to get around. We are considering getting bicycles to ride to each location we would like to visit but google maps says its around 20 miles. We are both very fit and cycle often but since we are unsure of what the weather will be and how getting around on a bike is, we are not sure if its the best idea. Possibly may have to drop something to see in Kyoto, or push one thing to the evening prior or next morning instead. Please let me know your thoughts on the entire itinerary as well as my concerns regarding Kyoto. Also the only thing we dont have booked is both Shinkansen rides and ways too and from HND. Should we book them now?
23rd - Thursday - Land in Tokyo (HND) at 4pm. Scan QR code for eSim (need to figure out still). Exchange money. (Figure out best way to get from HND to Shinjuku, currently looking at Limo Bus). Check into AirBnB(in Shinjuku). Wander around close to home for the night and grab food.
24th - Friday - Head over to Ryogoku station, see the Sword Museum, then get to the Sumo Tournament around 1-2pm to catch the final two divisions. Probably head back to Shinjuku AirBnb and wander more around Kabukicho.
25th - Saturday - Go to Shibuya. Visit Meiji Jingu,Yoyogi Park, Nintendo Tokyo, Center Gai, Shibuya Scramble and possibly Shibuya Sky. (Considering Government Building instead / as well, maybe one in morning and other at night). Maybe Karaoke here or back near the AirBnB in Shinjuku.
26th - Sunday - Imperial Palace and the East Garden. Then to Akihabara where I will be spending a good amount of time wandering and shopping. Going to a bar in Shinjuku to watch the Monaco GP F1 Race at 10PM.
27th - Monday - Go to Nakano Broadway to do some shopping. Then go to Ikebukuro and Sunshine City, Pokemon Center and wander around.
28th - Tuesday - Take the already reserved Highway Bus at 9:45am (Shinjuku Expressway Bus Terminal) to Kawaguchiko Station (2 hours). Store luggage. Pick up our already reserved bikes at Kawaguchiko station at noon, bike to Chureito Pagoda, then Oishi Park, then around the rest of Lake Kawaguchi, Fujiomurosengen Shrine, then return the bikes. Check into AirBnB anytime after 4PM. Relax, enjoy the scenery of the lake and Mt. Fuji (fingers crossed).
29th - Wednesday - Take an already reserved Bus via Sekitori from Kawaguchiko Station (track no. 6) at 10:20am to Mishima Station North Gate (1 hour 30 min). Take the Shinkansen to Kyoto ( 2 hours 20 min). Maybe use a luggage locker to explore prior to checking into AirBnB (just south of Kyoto Imperial Palace) after 3pm. Go to Kyoto Imperial Palace and Garden or Nijo Castle. Wonder around for the rest of the day.
30th - Thursday - Need help getting to and from locations. Sights we would like to see during this day may be too busy? Should we move one of them to the evening prior or to the next morning? Kinkaku-ji, Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Togetsukyo Bridge, Arashiyama Monkey Park. Then a section of Fushimi Inari and the section of Kiyomizu-dera and Higashiyama Ward.
31st - Friday - Visit any remaining spots if we chose to in Kyoto, take Shinkansen to Tokyo. Check into AirBnB. Go to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden and Harajuku.
1st - Saturday - Early afternoon rent a car and go to Yokohama, visit Nissan Engine Museum and Nissan Gallery/Boutique. Then head to Diakoku Parking Area and hang out till it closes.
2nd - Sunday - Go to Senso-ji, Kaminarimon, then to Tokyo Sky Tree and Sky Tree Pokemon Center. If time left then go back to Asakusa to shop around Nakamise and Shin-Nakamise or open to suggestions.
3rd - Monday - Leaving this day open to decide what we want to do while we are there.
4th - Tuesday - Check out, head to the airport (Limo Bus?) (HND) for a 5:15pm flight.