I count my calories to a) make sure I’m eating enough and b) make sure I don’t over eat. I give myself a buffer
Today had been a very good day food wise, leaning towards to higher end. But towards the end of the day I just wanted something sweet. I cracked open one of the Easter egg boxes we have still and took half a twirl. I ate it slowly, made sure I tasted and enjoyed each bite. Then it was gone and I was fine. I had my sweet treat. There was no binge in search for taste and textures. Even towards the end it started to taste overly sweet.
I just love MJ and the control it’s given me. I love I can still have a treat every now and again and feel satisfied and not deprived.
Not sure if it’s a NSV for most but it is for me.

I really apologize for the length of this post. But writing down all the details took way longer than I thought. And this situation was downright crazy. I never thought my sister would do something like this. Not too long ago I (23m) posted in AITAH for advice because my parents and sister were angry at me for regularly eating in a hospital cafeteria because it's close to my work. I enjoy the peace and quiet there on the days I do show up to eat. But this situation escalated so radically, that I can't believe something so dumb actually happened. My sister did the pettiest thing she's ever done to me. And for completely undeserved reasons too.
When my sister found out I was eating at the hospital cafeteria, she went off on me over how that food is just for people who are at the hospital because they need to be. We ended up in a big argument about it in which I told her it wasn't like I was taking food from the mouths of patients. Then she went to our parents to get them on her side like always. And they immediately sided with her just like I thought they would. They backed her up on how the hospital cafeteria was not a place to go eating casually. And we had a big argument. They spent days hounding me and telling me I was wrong, and demanding I stop. So I went to Reddit. And here I learned that not only was I not doing anything wrong. But it's a very common thing for people to go eat at hospital cafeterias just because they like it.
I hoped the situation would just fade away. But a few days later, my sister called me asking if I had stopped eating at the hospital. I said no. And then it started all over again. My parents then called me fuming and acting like I was supposed to stop going because they said so. I reminded them that I don't live under their roof anymore. And this is exactly the kind of reason why I moved out. They take my sister's side in almost everything. They huffed and puffed about it.
This time the fight didn't stay at home though. Other relatives found out because my sister tried to broaden her support. She was so dead set on enforcing her will upon me, that she went looking for help from other relatives. But our parents were the only ones on her side. And my uncle personally admonished my parents and her over the phone for it once I told him what actually happened. He told them they were only siding with my sister because she's their favorite. And they're terrible parents for ever playing favorites to begin with. Then cousin went to eat with me at that hospital cafeteria, and said he'd like to go there once as week too, as he also works nearby and bicycles everywhere. We've run into each other at lunch there once already since then. He was actually rather pleased to find out the food was made healthier than most other places. He's a bit of a picky eater. So this place is kinda like his new lunch hangout. And my sister got even angrier after finding out there were other people in the family eating at the hospital now too.
Once outed, my parents backed down due to embarrassment. They apologized to me, and gave me some malarkey that they honestly thought eating at a hospital was weird, and that they felt like they just needed to defend my sister. I told them they'd been placating my sister for so long, that it's all they do whenever she starts something with anyone. She's been treating me like a condescending control freak and a bully since we were teenagers, even though I'm older. And they just kept enabling that. But I won't put up with it anymore. My parents ended up conceding, and apologized. Then they made my sister apologize to me too. And I could tell she hated every second of it, because she tried to speak through her teeth at first.
Later on my parents invited me to dinner as another form of apology. But it felt more like a show to look good to the rest of the family, because they told everyone about it before it even happened. The dinner was great, I can't deny. My parents had cooked a turkey. Arguable one of my favorite things to eat. I love the drumsticks slathered with gravy. Yeah, I'm kinda a pig when I eat them. But I can't help it. My sister always thought it hilarious. And was one of the few things I didn't mind her laughing about. So I thought nothing of why she was so giggly at dinner.
Later after the family dinner, I noticed that my bike was missing. I'd parked it in the back yard out of sight. But it was just gone. I freaked out because it's my only mode of transportation. My parents did panic a bit with me. But my sister seemed just the opposite. She actually looked happy and was still giggling. I immediately suspected her, and she played innocent. She even gave the "I can't believe you'd think I'd do something like that!" line. I already knew she's extremely petty. But this was a whole new level of it for her. So I said that I was gonna go over to the neighbor because I know they have cameras, and they'd have seen what happened. And then I'd call the cops. My sister suddenly looked panicked, and I got mad and said I knew it was her. And demanded my bike back. She started crying and saying she didn't do anything. And our parents were immediately taking her side while scolding me for daring to accuse her.
So I had enough and said I was going to the neighbor's to ask to check their cameras. And then I'd be calling police. My sister finally fessed up and called me to come back. The looks on our parents' faces after they'd just defended her were priceless. My sister said she was just so angry at me for having made her apologize for something she still believed she was right about. So she planned to have a couple of her friends to come and grab my bike during dinner. She said her friends were in a minivan with it just down the street. She then started saying that I couldn't call police on her anyway, because I'm her big brother. Our parents backed that up too. But I pulled out my phone and started marching outside again. They ran after me with my sister begging and crying for me to stop. I called her a brat. And then I told my parents I couldn't believe they were still defending her when she was acting this way.
Our parents finally hit their enabling limit with her and told her to make her friends bring my bike back immediately. She got on her phone while sniffling and called her friends up. But then she suddenly ran into her room to talk to them. I couldn't hear a thing she said through the door because it was all in whispers. And our parents looked very worried too.
My sister would never have willingly admitted she had my bike stolen. She just kept sobbing that it was only a prank over and over again. And she also kept using the excuse that it's just a cheap bike anyway. I bought it used some months ago for $50. But it's in great shape. And it's my main mode of transportation. My sister kept looking at our parents to back her up. And that time they just couldn't. So she just slumped down in a chair hugging her knees and waiting with the rest of us. My sister looked increasingly freaked out the longer her friends took to bring my bike back, and was repeatedly texting them.
Even though my sister said her friends were just down the street, it took them roughly an hour to bring my bike back. They finally pulled up in the minivan with my bike shoved in the back. And it was completely soaked and all muddy. Like it'd just been pulled out of a wet muddy ditch. The bike is a 700c, so it's too tall for either of them to ride. So they just drove right up and stole the bike by dragging it into the van as fast as they could before taking off. I say they stole it because I was almost certain in the moment my sister had told them to dispose of my bike. Had I not pointed out the neighbors have cameras, I may not have gotten it back.
When her friends did finally arrive, their legs were all muddy and wet nearly up to their knees. They both begged me not report them to police for taking the bike. I asked while recording them to tell me the truth, and pointed out the neighbors have cameras. Did my sister want them to get rid of my bike? They broke down and said yes, my sister wanted them to take the bike and dump it in a pond a few miles away. And they had to go back and get it when they realized they were caught. My bike had been near completely submerged in muddy water. Thankfully I didn't have many added accessories on it other than a detachable headlight and my water bottle. But the water bottle was missing.
I wasn't surprised by what my sister's friends told me. And I had them tell our parents too. They laid into my sister till she was bawling on the floor kicking and pounding like a toddler. I had never seen my sister act that way since she actually was a toddler. And I found it mortifying she was still like this on the inside. Then she shut herself in her room. Her friends were banned from ever coming to my parents' house again. Then my sister was forced to come out of her room by our mother, and make another big apology to me.
Our father then forced her to wash and oil my bike from stem to stern under his supervision while I took apart the headlight and cleaned it out to dry it. By the time my sister was done, it was dark outside. She glared at me like I was the devil when she came back in the house. But our parents shut her attitude right down, and said they've never been more embarrassed by her in their lives. She went back to crying in her room. I had a very frank discussion with my parents about my sister's child-like behavior. And how it stemmed from their spoiling and enabling. I said I couldn't believe I had to be the voice of reason. But the fact that she was on the floor crying like a toddler, kicking and pounding, showed that she's still mentally a child because of them. And they kept making me the scapegoat when she screwed up, so she barely knows any sense of accountability. For once they didn't argue with me about it. And then my father silently drove me and my bike back to my apartment with his SUV. He also gave me some money to replace my bike's missing water bottle before we parted.
My sister and her clique used to harass me a fair bit whenever we ran into each other. They made fun of me as a group whenever possible. And I usually just ignored them because they bored me. And that really seemed to tick them off. But after the bike incident, I got sent numerous messages from numbers I didn't know cussing me out for making my sister cry over a silly prank. Knowing her, my sister probably fed everyone she knew a very different story on what happened. I texted lengthy replies of what actually happened, and even stated I have recordings of her friends admitting the truth.
Some people at my sister's college found out what actually went down. Maybe from my texts, maybe her friends spilled the beans. But it embarrassed my sister so much she came home having a crying tantrum about how people there were calling her and her friends B's and a bike thieves. I may not have gone to college. But I know students who need them are VERY protective of their bikes. A lot of them live on shoestring budgets after all. My sister said someone even joked that they shouldn't leave a bike around her, because it might just disappear if she had to apologize to anyone. My sister ended up so upset that she refused to leave her room for three days to have her pity party.
My parents called me up to try and turn everything on me again. I reminded them about the discussion we had days before, and that they needed to stop babying her, and let her deal with the repercussions of her own actions. If she fails her classes again, it's because she's not trying like she should be. Then I went off on them how were just looking for someone to blame to make her feel better. She made the problem. Not me. And I wasn't gonna be the one they make the scapegoat anymore. My sister is an adult. And she needs to act like it. They sounded defeated, and then apologized before ending the call. Looks like they were genuinely hoping I'd just sit back and take the blame so my sister would get better. But I never will again.
Now my parents are trying to pretend this all never happened, and my sister as well as her clique are avoiding me at all costs. Which I suppose is fine with me. Because I don't want anymore drama. But the next time something like this happens, I won't take it from them.
TLDR: My sister make a big deal of me eating at a hospital cafeteria, and then had her friends steal and dump my bike just because I made her apologize to me. Now she's being ridiculed by everyone.

Hi everyone! I'm a bridesmaid for a friend of mine's wedding coming up this summer (lets call this person Friend 1). I recently got back from Friend 1's bachelorette party that was in the Caribbean and turned out to be horrible. There was an issue with the house and due to safety and health concerns, we all had to move to a hotel. This situation and the way Friend 1 spoke to everyone caused some people to leave the same day they got there and fly home. I stayed and tried to help Friend 1 through the situation. Throughout the entire trip, Friend 1 and her maid of honor kept guilt tripping everyone into doing activities they did not want to do. We also barely were given opportunities to sleep and were never given the opportunity to get food. About 2 days into the trip, on the way to the bar that Friend 1 forced us to go to, I had a bad panic attack that other people on the trip witnessed and tried to help me through. Friend 1 walked up to us when that was happening and starting yelling at us for ruining the vibe. Since coming back from the trip, I have heard that Friend 1 is expecting an apology from me for the situation even after I had a conversation with her explaining that I had a medical situation and the others were trying to help me. She also said that I did not have a medical issue and that I should've had high energy. She did not check in on me once. I thought we had come to a resolution, but I guess not?
And now since coming back from the trip, Friend 1 and her maid of honor are starting to charge us for things from the trip. They lied to us about certain costs of things and spent more money than they told us. Overall, there was such a lack of communication, ungratefulness from the bride and her maid of honor, and them being poor hosts.
I have left out a lot purely because there is just way too much to hash out here, but I'm unsure of where I stand not only in this friendship but as a bridesmaid. I'm not sure if I even want to attend her wedding anymore. The people who left the bachelorette party have declined the bride's invitation to the wedding since because of the whole situation and the way the bride spoke to them. If I do go through with attending the wedding, how much would I give as a gift?
I feel like with this bachelorette party, I spent over $1000 which was not what it initially was supposed to be and with the bride's attitude, I don't feel like giving more. Also another factor into this is that I am unemployed currently and the bride is aware of this. One last factor is that I have another friend's wedding that is before Friend 1's and though I'm not a bridemaid for her (lets call this person Friend 2), Friend 2 has been such a great friend and person to me. Everything for Friend 2's wedding is reasonable. Also Friend 1 and Friend 2 are also friends with each other and attending each respective wedding.
Does anyone have any advice on the situation and how much they would gift each respective bride?

I (F, 20) and my boyfriend (m,23) recently moved in together into a small house that we rent near my parents. I have lived with my parents my whole life so it's convenient being close to them. My boyfriend's family on the other hand, live in a different city and he has never got on with them so when I asked if he wanted to move in with me he was very excited. For some context my boyfriend, I'll call him Matt, and his sister, who I'll call Em (f, 17), have been close since they were kids and she is the only person in Matt's family that he really likes. Now, as I said our house is quite small, two bedrooms, one bathroom and a very small almost closet-sized room that we use for storage with a little garden. Last week Em phoned Matt and told him that there had been a huge argument between her and their parents and asked if she could stay with us for a while whilst she figured out what to do. Matt agreed without asking me and picked her up the next day. When she arrived at our house I was a little shocked that Matt didn't ask me if it was okay first but I wasn't upset because I've always liked Em (me and Matt have known eachother for about 5 years). I arranged the guest bedroom as quickly as I could so Em could get comfortable and everything was good for about a week. Yesterday I wanted to go and stay with my parents for the night like I do every week and Matt was staying at a friend's house for a birthday party. We both asked Em if she would be okay and she assured us that everything would be fine. Matt left home at about 3pm and I left around 4. When I got home this morning I could barely open the front door. When I managed to push my way into the house I saw that the sofa had been pushed up against the door and there was trash, clothes and food everywhere. I couldn't see Em anywhere so went to look in the garden and found her sitting on the deck smoking. I started to yell at her and ask what the hell happened. She told me that she had some friends over and they trashed the place whilst she was sleeping. However I knew this wasn't true because one, I would have seen all the cars from my parents house because they live up the street and two, Em lives in another and as far as I'm aware has never been here before. It's not like any of her friends could drive here either because it's about a 4 hour drive and I don't think anyone is willing to drive that far for some party. Matt got home a few hours later and helped me move the furniture back and then he started picking up the clothes and trash but I stopped him saying that Em could do it herself since she's the one who made the mess. Matt disagreed and said it wasn't a big deal. I told him that Em was going to clean this up and then he was going to take her home or I'd move back in with my parents. He just sighed and rolled his eyes at me. I am currently in our room, the only place in the house that isn't trashed and Matt has taken Em out for dinner since the kitchen is too messy to cook and there is hardly any food left in the house because it was all wasted or eaten. I don't think I was too harsh but Matt is saying that i can't just kick her out for something "she didn't do" even though I've explained to him that it had to have been her. I'm a little lost right now so any advice would be appreciated.

I have really been struggling to lose weight since the beginning of the year. I lost 38 kg in 2023 and I'm down a total of 59 kg since 2018. I still have about 34 kg more to lose, maybe 45 kg if I am really motivated and I just can't seem to get back on track again. I've had a few stressful things happen to me this year and I've definitely been using food to comfort myself. I just feel disappointed in myself right now. I have mostly maintained this year, which I guess is good, but I wish I had lost more weight by now. So I am once again trying to get back on track with my weight loss for what feels like the 100th time this year. I have been taking a lot of walks and have been lifting weights, but I need to be consistent with my calories again.

~First~
(Got up Early to talk about the CPAP machine and such. Only to be given an appointment on friday. So yeah, in trying to solve a sleep issue I’m giving myself more of one. Incidentally Friday will be late due to well, the CPAP retrieval and tutorial)
The Pirates
“So, they’re here.” Agenda says contently as she finishes feeding her fussiest little girl.
“Yep!” Jingay chirps happily as her freshly hatched little children are happily playing on the glowing, shimmering platform that her rattle has brought to life. She can’t do anything complicated, but a soft shiny platform for her little slithers to play around in? She can do that, but it takes some focus. The tiny fluffy child of Vuni is cuddling the strong Jungle Nagasha tail that wraps around her own tail.
“How formal a call do you think we should make?” Miles asks in an amused tone.
“Not especially, after all the babes ensure it will never be properly formal, they’re too happy and healthy.” Agenda notes.
“I blame you for that.” Miles says and Agenda laughs.
“If you don’t want the blame I’ll take it.” Vuni remarks.
“You’re just as guilty.” Miles says and Vuni laughs in response.
“What’s going to happen?” Jingay asks and Miles is pensive for a moment.
“I don’t know.” He notes as his hand gently rubs the handle of his revolver. The constant rubbing had necessitated him re-burning the names of his family back into it. “But no amount of waffling about will let me know. So if you don’t mind. I’ve been... getting something a little ready.”
“Is this what you’ve been sneaking around to do for the last three days?” Agenda asks.
“Something like that. It’s a bit of a treat I wanted to give you girls so... care to join me?” He offers.
“What have you done?”
“Me and the boys got together a great big feast so that we can all talk The Inevitable at once. It took a bit of doing, but when the boys and I get moving, we really get moving.”
“Are you including Red Squadron and Biran in that?”
“And a lot of cadets too. Markus gave them a proper mission in setting up the area.” He says.
“How is that a mission?”
“It involves deploying a military force to secure and prepare an area for higher ranking officers to approach and remain there for a time.” Miles says before offering his hand. “There’s plenty of space for all our little ones, and for all our allies. Give them all a big impression. How does that sound?”
“Well, if you’ve been planning this for days.”
“I have. All of us have.”
“Then I suppose we HAVE to show up, don’t we?” Agenda says in a luxurious tone. “I’ll get my coat.”
•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•
The hall that Miles leads them to is a massive refurbished hanger that has all kinds of carpets put down, tapestries hanging from the ceiling and tables upon tables of different treats of all sorts already out. The Undaunted Cadets are all rushing around putting down more meals and treats and between the richness of the carpets, the crystal bowls and platters and expensive drinks and foods. But the sort of... scrambled way it’s been put together by the cadets lends it an earnestness that bleeds through. More important though are numerous floating platforms where a child can be safely put down and be right beside their parent.
“Oh this is a treat. I haven’t even been one of you guys for long!” A four part harmony says as Moira walks in with little Liǔ Shù napping in the arms of the four bodies that didn’t speak. The toxic little girl not only has numerous of the protective pendents on her and woven into her clothing, but is in a dark jumper that lets her bright skin stand out as if for presentation.
“Well, as their novels say, all for one, and one for all.” A new voice says as a pair of Cannidors lead in their own family. More and more and more people pour in from all entrances, many in uniform, many of them her own girls. Some of them she barely recognizes. Every single one of them that notices her looking raises a glass, nods, salutes or somehow pays their respects to her.
Her little one squirms ever so and is softly comforted. For a moment there is almost a feeling of vertigo. There was a time where all this wasn’t even a dream of a dream. She could remember the feeling. How could she forget it? The sensation of something gripping your very mind and soul and stopping you from even thinking of disobeying. Then so long trying to get things right, trying to be in control of her own destiny, before finally achieving it and learning just how hard that was. How many sacrifices and concessions she made before what seemed to be one of her final concessions... turned out to be final in the best of ways.
“Alright! We have a connection to The Inevitable! Who wants to say hello to the next batch of humans in the galaxy?” Ryu calls out.
“My Lady?” Miles asks as he smiles up at her. She gives him a raised eyebrow at that.
“My lady is it? Well then, I better live up to it.” She says.
“Connect us!” She commands and there is a cheer through the room before a massive projector uses one of the tapestry covered walls as a screen. “Good Ship Inevitable! Can you hear me?”
“We can, you are on a friendly frequency.” A man of Asian Descent says sitting stiffly in his command chair. “I am Observer Wu, sent from Earth to conclusively determine what is going on outside our corner of the galaxy. Identify yourself please.”
“I am Duchess Agenda Lilpaw! I am the ruler of the Vucsa System an Undaunted World! I greet you, because I have long learned my lesson to stay on the good side of humans!”
“Have you now? If I’m not mistaken that is a fully grown human right next to you. You look like you could take him fairly easily.” Observer Wu says in an amused tone.
She looks down to Miles before shaking her head.
“I made that mistake once. My entire ship was not enough.” She says fondly before pulling him close. “Then I was offered a deal, and he used it to help make me a duchess. So you’ll forgive me if I think humans are a good thing to have around.”
“Did he now? I didn’t realize galactic conquest was the intent of The Dauntless and her crew.” Wu notes.
“Well, as one of the conquered, I would like to say I prefer this result. After all, being able to walk about the city without a bodyguard is a welcome change of pace.” Vuni says drawing attention to herself with a slight bow. “Ambassador Vuni Luxed at your service.”
“So this world prefers to be conquered?” Observer Wu asks.
“This world was a slum at it’s best. A hellscape at worst.” Mari Horny states as the Carib woman waves to the camera. “Mari Horny. I was here to witness it all. I’ve seen slaves freed, monsters hunted down no matter what kind of power or influence they have, be they person or beast. With them I’ve seen the children I worked so hard to protect grow stronger and thrive. Doom has come to this world time after time, and they met it each time. If you’re here to observe, then observe this room! Everyone here saved, aided or inspired by the people you’ve come to evaluate! There are ten pure blooded humans in this room, but beyond it is nearly a billion souls who will vouch for them from the first to last! And so will I!”
“No need to be so dramatic ma’am. I’m an observer, not a judge. I am here to see and hear without bias or illusions. Things are odd, and odd things have happened. The governments and officials back home need to understand clearly and without any doubt. So that is why I am here. There was confusion in the first message sent back. The second furthered the confusion due to multiple parties having separate interests. I have been tested, tried and guaranteed numerous concessions and payments for an utterly neutral perspective.”
“So your word is going to be how all is, then they decide if we committed treachery.” Franklin notes as he floats up with several bundles around him, many of them laughing. “Behold this then. My children. All healthy, with myself as the only human parent. My daughters take after their mothers, my son takes after me, but has his mother’s strength.”
“He is nearly transparent.” Observer Wu notes before Franklin gives the little boy a tickle and he flickers in and out of visibility while laughing. “Most interesting. This Vucsa world of yours, before I do my research upon it, is there something you would like to say about it?”
“This is a world on the edge of Wild Space. Which means that it’s often been used in the past as a place where experiments happened.” Miles says.
“Interesting. Such as?” Observer Wu asks.
“Such as my daughter here. I am Moira Octalliry, I will cut through the details and simply state that my anatomy allowed me to be experimented on a great deal.” She says and Observer Wu looks at her oddly.
“Are you one, or many?”
“I am one, but I am eight as one.” She says. “As is my daughter, I have named her Liǔ Shù. She was a piece of myself remade to produce a weapon. She and I were both rescued. I was forgotten in darkness for thousands of years, as was my daughter. Held in a single moment in time and left to rot.”
“And... is she a weapon?”
“I am told you have creatures similar to her new ability back on your homeworld.”
“We do? What is the name of this creature?”
“The Poison Dart Frog.” She says and Observer Wu’s eyebrows go up.
“Don’t forget about the fact that we fought off that robot witch!”
“Robot Witch?” Wu prompts.
“A weapon of war created by a very large, dangerous and expansive criminal family. A death robot known as Mother Massacre.” Moira says. “So consider that. Without them going... I don’t even know what to call it, I saw the contradicting orders, without them going sane for lack of a better term, I would still be in a slowly failing stasis capsule, buried and forgotten in the darkness.”
“And so, in summation, and from the mouths of those that clearly trust them what is your opinion of The Undaunted and the humans that make it up?”
“When I was brought to this world it was as a slave, my dignity ripped from me, my home destroyed and in less than a day I had my freedom, dignity and a new home.” One of the Erumenta that Agenda cannot recognize out of hand announces.
“And my own. My whole family, those that were enslaved are freed, those that were indoctrinated into that wretched way of life have been allowed time to recover.” Biran says grandly.
“They took me in.” A smaller voice says as Karim rises up. “I’m a Hlo’Shab. Death Born. I could have reasonably only expected to have my core shattered, or shunned for my entire life. Instead I have a home.”
“And... to be Death Born means what?”
“I am a Slohb. By blood I have only one true parent. I was broken off of them far too soon and they died as I survived. Death Born. Or... well, I don’t have blood but... you get the idea right?” Karim asks.
“I understand.” Observer Wu notes. “I have more calls incoming. Is there more from Vucsa for me to see or hear?”
“Over here!” A jubilant voice calls out and the room turns to see Hewhew standing on the shoulders of Heffer to tower over everyone with the Agela’s height added to his own. “Red Five calling it in! The Vucsa Defence Fleets fly fast and proud to keep our home safe!”
The crowd around him, pilots all, throw up their right arms and cheer along with Hewhew. “Welcome to the Galaxy Observer! We’re ten tons of awesome in a two pound bag! Let’s rock!”
Observer Wu smiles as he looks around. “I look forwards to discovering the truth of things.”
“That’s the fun part of the galaxy sir, it’s so absurd we don’t need to lie.” Miles states and Observer Wu turns back to him with a smirk.
“Well, we shall see, won’t we?” He asks. “Is there anything more?”
“I take it you’re not in the mood for a display of flight prowess? We’ve been working on a new routine.” Hewhew calls out.
“Perhaps later. I have numerous calls waiting.” Observer Wu states. “Now if you’ll excuse me...”
~First~ Last

I'm 22 right now. I can't remember a lot of specific obsessions that I've had throughout my life, although I've always had a shit ton of anxiety and things around me that controlled my life. Last year I took out my wisdom teeth and this year my teeth are my new obsession. I don't know what to do. I brush my teeth with a regular toothbrush, then an electric toothbrush, of course using toothpaste both times, then I use interdental brushes, I floss and finally I use my mouthwash. I do this after every meal. At first it started as me just taking care of my teeth after the surgery, but now it's been a year and I can't stop. I'm avoiding certain foods and drinks that might stain or harm my teeth and cause caries... I can't stop losing weight. But I don't know how to stop. It keeps getting worse with time and my teeth no longer feel polished after brushing because I've most likely completely destroyed the outer layer. They just never feel clean anymore, even after I do this whole ritual. It will help me relax in the moment but I still won't feel like I did a perfect job. It's been taking a toll on my mental health for months... I also wear my retainer every night, otherwise I can't sleep or I think my teeth will shift or I'll grind my teeth and wake up from the pain.
I have another obsession as well. At some point, I broke up with my girlfriend. I ended up stalking her twitter account, to see how she's doing. It's been 3 years since that time and I can't stop checking it, even though we're dating again and everything is fine. I check it every day, some times multiple times a day just to see if she posts something about me. The fear that she will break up with me again is always there. She doesn't even know I do that and I'm so ashamed of that habit but I just can't stop doing it or thinking about doing it. I've tried to fight it but I don't know how to stop and I need help.

I've been seeing my gf for a year now and she's always so happy and we never argue. It's the easiest relationship I've been apart of.
However, she has a motor mouth and it's as if she tries to set a record on how many words can come out of her mouth per minute. Me on the otherhand, I'm very calm and introverted.
She has adhd and not only does she talk so fast, she gives THE MOST possible details when telling stories.
For example, instead of summing up a story by saying "My co-worker got fired today because they kept calling in sick" is a 10 minute story about what the Coworker does, what she wears to work, what her position is, who her boyfriend is, what her boyfriend does for work, where the girlfriend lives, how many times she called in to work, why she called into work, what she said to the manager, what the manager said back to her, etc. And then worst part is when she goes "but isn't that crazy" and then repeats the 80% of the story again to hammer home the details again. Meanwhile, I say nothing the whole time until she's done and I just blandly say "oh wow"
When we go out to dinner, there's zero moments of silence because she's rambling. And when the food comes, I just stare at the same forkful of food on her fork for 3 minutes straight because she's talking non-stop. I'll be finished with my meal before she even has a few bites.
It's impossible to watch movies with her because I have to pause things every few minutes because she starts telling a story. 50% of her stories are full of non-relevant logistics (dates, times, names) that makes it nearly impossible for my brain to not just tune out.
A large part of me feels bad because she's genuinely such a sweet person and she's just so happy to be spending time with me. I don't know how I can bring this up to her without hurting her feelings, but my tolerance is going down. I used to last a few hours before I'm socially overwhelmed. Now it's like the first 5 minutes of hanging out that I start to just tune her out and just focus on my inner thoughts while nodding away.
With her ADHD, is this just how it's always going to be? Or would I be crazy to let this one problem be a deal breaker in an otherwise great relationship? I sound like a dick but damn is it sooo exhausting and socially draining
TLDR: GF tells highly detailed stories for 10+ minutes straight that could be summed into two sentences. How do I deal?

I just want to rant so I can forget this and focus on my exams. If you have been in a similar position and can help, I would appreciate it. If not, that's also fine <3
My bf (23M) and I (23F) have been dating for almost 3 years now. When we started dating, I was a virgin and thought I was asexual (had someone kind of sexually manipulate me, it's super complicated).
We met on an online dating app when I wasn't expecting anything. I told him about my asexuality and asked if that would be a problem. He responded frankly, saying he would like to be with someone he can have sex with but would love to get to know me better. We went on a date and it was magical. I felt so connected and seen, by the end of the first date, I was clearly not asexual. I realised that I was demi-sexual but have had never really had anyone I connected with.
When we started dating, we had a really hard time with sex. It was very painful for me, sometimes so painful I would have panic attacks. We couldn't have penetrative sex for a while and that really frustrated him. Often times, when he tried to initiate, I would turn him down which made him feel dejected. He doesn't know this, but a lot of times, I would just pretend like I wanted it and help him finish. He spoke to me about how dejected he was feeling and we decided it's best for me to initiate when I'm ready.
This is the important bit, I recognised how this affects his mental health and body image so I actively worked to make him feel better. He is short and skinny, something he has been made fun of all his life. I would shower him with compliments, beg him for shirtless pictures and remind him that I prefer him for how he looks. I also worked on my sexual issues, visting the GP, trying to ease myself into penetrative sex by practising on my own and making sure I initiate regularly (even when I didn't feel it) so he didn't feel frustrated.
A couple months into our relationship, things got better. We were able to have penetrative sex, something that made both of us feel incredibly close to each other. I loved having sex with him, it made me feel so loved and connected. Even though I never finished (and he never really tried. He'd ASK if I want him to go down on me, but I struggle with body dysmorphia and would say I feel insecure. At this point, he would just shrug and say okay and not eat me out) I knew it was important for our relationship and would consistently initiate. At this point, he had completely stopped initiating.
This is when things started getting bad. At some point, he started frequently rejecting me. I didn't think too much of it at first, but it started to build up. I would order lingerie and send him nudes, but he didn't seem to care. I remember once actively performing to turn him on and he just stared at him, not touching himself or anything. I knew something was wrong, but when I tried to give him a BJ I fully realised it. He was completely soft. I started crying, I thought there was something wrong with me.
During this time, he had also started talking about the receptionist in his place. She was beautiful and our age. She had much larger breasts than me (something he admitted he liked when we first started dating, but he said he USED to like it and now he prefers my itty bitty ones) and was everything he wanted. I could tell she was flirting with him. He kept insisting she wasn't and had apparently talked about me a bunch. But I could just tell. It broke my heart every time he would replay his conversations with her to me.
With everything that was happening, I just felt like some weird BFF of his. It felt like SHE was the one he wanted and I was just a listening ear. My body issues peaked. I was counting calories and I couldn't leave the house without a ton of makeup. I felt so ugly.
We fought regularly.
He finally opened up to me and told me that he wasn't having sex with me because he had POIS, a condition where ejaculating felt like an allergic reaction to him. He would be dizzy for days and he didn't like that. His health was generally quite bad, he'd often forget meals and with the stress of uni, he was becoming super unhealthy. He asked that we stopped for a couple months to see if he would get better. He promised we would resume once he finished his dissertation and started working. I said okay.
The next couple months weren't easy. He continued to flirt with the receptionist, asking her inappropriate questions like if she would wants kids after marriage and what she would prefer on a first date (I don't know if they've discussed more, this is all he told me). I would cry myself to sleep most nights, but he didn't seem to care. I felt so distant from him, so alone even when he was right there. Eventually, I asked him to stop talking to her. He said he wouldn't but then he accidentally told me something and I realised that he had continued to talk to her. I was furious and it felt like we needed to break up. This was a couple months before he had to move out of that place. We found out that she had been referring to him as her bf behind our backs (he says he's never given her any reason to think that, but she's not a weirdo. Why would she randomly call him her bf????) and apparently he confronted her and told her that was not okay. He says he hasn't spoken to her since, but I don't really know. He said he doesn't have her socials but I really doubt that.
We somehow managed to get through those months, they were truly awful. I felt so alone but I never told anyone about my issues. Everyone thought we were the dream couple and would jokingly ask us when the wedding was. In reality, I wanted to break up with him almost daily. I felt so shit in my body, I lost a decent amount of weight and started to become scared of certain foods.
I kept telling myself things would get better once he started working and our sex life resumed. When he started working, he was living with me on most weekdays, only visting his mum on the weekends. Things didn't get better. He didn't ever initiate sex and I felt so awful. I had needs too! He would hardly compliment me. Sometimes, I would leave the door open when I showered or would change my clothes infront of him. He wouldn't even pretend to be distracted. He would continue talking to me like I'm his friend, my body reduced to some lump of clay. I began to resent him.
Especially because of hormones, every month for 7-10 days, I would be super horny and would try and seduce him. Every time I would get rejected and my body issues would peak. I talked to him about my feelings countless times, and every time he would promise to do better and promise that he loves me and finds me really attractive. He would promise that it was just his POIS and once he started taking care of his health, things would be fine again. Through the months of Sept to Dec, we had sex less than 4 times. He would say he was too stressed to work on his health, he even made his gastritis so bad he would have debilitating headaches where he wouldn't even be listening to what I was saying. It was getting awful.
In Dec, I went home. For the first time, I spoke to someone about the reality of my relationship. I told my sister how dejected I felt, and how my body issues had gotten so bad I was forcing myself to puke meals and regularly staying under 1200 calories while over-exercising. My sister was so sad, she told me I needed to break up with my bf because this was never going to stop. I told her that I don't think I will ever find someone like my bf. He and I were really good friends and I used to find him incredibly attractive. When things were good, I was ecstatic, he truly felt like my soulmate. He is a great guy. My sister kept telling me that him being a great guy wasn't enough. I deserved to be with someone who made me feel desired.
I rang my bf and tried breaking up with him. He kept asking for a second chance, saying he was feeling better and things would be fine. I went back to my place in Jan and was waiting for him to mend things like he promised. Jan was the same, no intimacy.
Around Valentines day, I lost it. I was feeling so awful in my body. I was so angry, his mother threw a tantrum last time we did something for Vday so he would always spend the day with her and we would celebrate the week after. That was fine with me, but I wanted to be asked to be his valentines. I sent him a bunch of hints, sharing reels where guys would ask their partners to be their valentines. When he hadn't asked me couple days before he left for home, I calmly told him that I wanted to be asked. He just looked at me blankly and said, "okay, do you want to be my valentines?". I said that's not what I meant, he had to plan a surprise for me, nothing fancy but it had to be intentional. He said he'd do it but he didn't. A day or two later, he left for home. I spent Vday alone, having not been asked. I was so upset and angry, all I had asked for was this one gesture to show me that I am loved and wanted. He didn't even get me flowers and chocolates. I got really angry and while I was lashing out, I brought up the fact that he said he would initiate but he still hasn't.
He said he was planning to ask before the 20th (when I had planned a late Vday treat for us). He never asked btw, when the 20th came around he said he wanted to but because I had made such a big deal about it, the surprise was gone so what's the point (this is his excuse for everything. When I ask calmly he forgets to do it and then when I get angry he doesn't it because "what's the point after you've asked"). I was hurt but I didn't bring it up again. I put on a dress he liked, did my makeup and wore some heels for our Vday play. That night, we had sex. He initiated.
I was so nervous the whole time, it was so lovely but in my head a tiny voice told me this wouldn't last. I felt so loved and wanted, but at the same time scared because I knew it wasn't going to happen again.
As expected, that was the last time we had sex. A week later, he said that his condition had worsened and he can't do this anymore. He asked me to wait two months till his private healtcare kicked in and he would get it sorted out. I told him I will wait but I want to feel cherished in the meantime. We came up with a list of non-sexual things he can do to help me out, like compliment me.
It was so awkward. Everytime he would compliment my body, it felt so off. He would say things like "your face is snatched". It felt like I had a gay bff, not a bf. To his credit, he did try. For most the part, he was consistent with the compliments even if they didn't really help me with my body image issues.
Two months passed, and he still hadn't gotten it checked out. He didn't even make the first appointment till after four months had passed. That was only because I had complained about how he wasn't even taking the initiative. I felt like he was so relieved to not have sex with me, he was "forgetting" to get it checked so he could continue to not be intimate with me. I felt so pathetic, I would have urges and would feel so ashamed. I cried a lot. I stopped changing in front of him or doing anything else where I would want him to be mesmerised by me. I felt pathetic.
Last week, he just got it checked out. I don't think he is going to be able to treat it. His GP has asked for a bloodwork. I don't think he will get it done without my nagging. I am so tired. I keep thinking about why I even want this man, I'm becoming disgusted by him. I hate to say this, but I am beginning to hate his body. He eats like crap and is now skinny fat. He hasn't worked out in three years and - thanks to all the meal-skipping - he has become so weak I'm stronger than him. He was always weak and could never lift me or anything. But now he can't even lift suitcases. He is always complaining about work, never in a good moood. I feel so drained around him. Drained and distant. When I see him naked, I just feel disgusted. And angry. I want him to know how awful it feels to be made to feel ugly and undesirable.
I think I need to break up with him. The other day, I demanded an open relationship. He gave up and said okay. I don't even want an open relationship, I am demi-sexual and can't get turned on by random people. I just want to hurt him, I want to tell him I've kissed other men and make him feel bad.
That's thing, we don't even kiss. The last time we made out was 4-5 months ago. It's that bad. He doesn't touch me, he doesn't kiss me, he doesn't even look at me longingly. When I say we have no sex, I mean nothing even sexual. He looks at me like I'm his puppy dog. That's it. I'm so done with this, I'm a reasonably attractive young woman. Men ask me out all the time. Why do I have to deal with this? What is so special about this man? A couple years ago when we dealt with my sexual issues, I still ensured that he was feeling desired and satisfied. Why doesn't my feelings and needs matter? It's been over a 1.5 years since I've felt wanted on a regular basis. He doesn't even pretend like he's struggling to not be intimate with me. How is this fair??? If we break up, he's the one that is losing. He's the short, weak, skinny man with sex issues so bad he can't even kiss his partner. He's the one that needs to try to keep me. Why am I the one begging??
I feel so angry and hurt. I want him to feel the same way. I hate that he isn't even trying to satisfy me. Okay, he can't use his thing. Why can't we makeout? Why can't he watch me in the shower? Why can't he kiss my body? Why can't he eat me out/finger me?? Why is he not struggling with this???? I don't think he wants me anymore. I feel so worthless, I don't know what to do. I feel like I've wasted the last three years. I feel pathetic. I hate myself for trying so hard to make him feel secure when I was the one struggling sexually. I wish I had let him feel shit, at least I wouldn't feel so bad now. It would just feel like this is my karma. But this isn't fair, I treated him well, why isn't he treating me well :(
NOTE: Please do NOT make this one of those TikTok / Instagram posts. My friends do not know about this and I don't ever want them to find out.

I currently live in Europe, where, as my fellow Eurohabitants know, pickings tend to be slim as far as low calorie/ high protein foods, especially where I live. I've got a family member travelling to the US who can bring me something back. They will most likely be going to Costco for their shopping. Does anyone have any good reccomendations of low-cal, high protein, or just generally yummy snacks? I'm thinking more on the sweet side but savoury is always good too!
Examples of 'snack-foods' I like are protein bars, chocolate rice crackers, bagels, soft cookies and sliced deli meats.
Thanks so much for the help!!

About two months ago my brother (31), who I’ll call John, moved back home because his Wi-Fi got disconnected. He’d missed a letter that came through and they ended up shutting it off. He said that he would only be here for a week but it has just dragged on. For context, my brother has autism and OCD and is completely capable of taking care of himself alone and has been living alone for a while. He is prone to act violently and has furious outbursts over relatively small things – he was kicked out by about 8 years ago by my parents. They usually will tell me about what’s happened with John, but whatever he did to get kicked out, my parents never speak of and from the look on my dad’s face when he even comes close to the subject made me not even want to press for details. He caused us all a lot of trauma and has had to have the police called on him multiple times because of his behaviour. When they arrive he pretends to be nice and cooperative.
Since he’s moved back here, there has not been a day that I have felt safe. I keep thinking of how I will be able to defend myself or my mum from him before the police come if he decides to start being violent again. My dad passed away a few years ago and he would usually be a shield for us when John started behaving that way. Living in this state of constant fear and distress is really taking a toll on my health and my studies.
I know my mum won’t kick him out because she is scared of what he might do but I can’t keep living like this. I can’t afford to move out right now and even if I could I don’t want to leave my mum alone in this house with him, I wouldn’t put any level of violence past him. He seems to have become even more volatile than usual and can’t even cope with being told minor things. For example, my mum told him to make sure he closes the freezer properly so all of our food doesn’t go off and he started threatening her. It has been going on like this for the whole time he has been here. I know it is only a matter of time before he starts trying to hurt someone. I don’t know what to do.

Hey guys, I would love to have your input here to help me understand plausible reasons for this man's really bizarre behavior. Hopefully then I can end the 'date' faster and refuse weird stuff a lot sooner.
So this able-bodied, unemployed dude asks me out. He's a 'grad student' in his 40s, and has a history of just getting various degrees on the GI Bill. Just a whole smattering of multiple degrees. (None of them in STEM) NOT a combat veteran in the least. And never deployed to a war zone. Currently on disability and he listed off variously supposedly injured areas and then very pointedly says "in my groin". Um, okay. I wonder if he's trying to tell me he's impotent? If so, why bring it up within the first 2 minutes of meeting a new person? Idk.
He went off on a loooong lecture about his 'future plans'. They sounded highly unrealistic and wildly pompous to me. I didn't say anything. Somehow they went together very well with his multiple useless degrees and the scattered-ness of his employment.
Then he decides to take me on an adventure!
He seems to have a terrible sense of direction and NO sense of planning whatsoever. He asks if I want to go see some grocery store. Um, sure. I have to do all the navigation. He keeps checking his cellphone for directions despite that and I spent the entire time scared that he'd get in an accident.
We get to the grocery store he wants and he whines and complains bitterly that it's not the one he wanted. My god, the complaining. Holy shit. Then he got angry and bitter that I didn't want to go to some local gaming arcade near the grocery store he disliked.
(for all the pick me ladies that are not like the other girls who would LOVE to go to an arcade and have fun! Yes, I too like to Have Fun At An Arcade. Just not with this man. I wasn't sure if he was the type of nutbag who would try to touch me 'by accident' while shooting at something. Or anything else really. I wanted to be in full public view in a non-noisy environment at any location with this guy.)
Man, did he rant about the Arcade. Holy shit. And he ranted about the grocery store disappointment too.
He then decides to take me to Costco. I had decided by then that I wasn't interested in this weirdo. But I remained very polite and never once criticized him. And that's when this fuck started to interrogate me and try to embarrass me.
He kept on and on taunting me about my work, my income, my status in life, and my position: Haha, my job sounds boring. Haha, my workplace sounds really bad. Haha, I'm screwed.
(I don't carry debt and I keep my head down and I keep my expenses as low as possible and I work, work, work.)
Meanwhile THIS asshole starts boasting about ALL the traveling he does, all the restaurants he eats at, all the amazing food he buys, all the drinks he enjoys. I don't drink alcohol to keep my expenses low unlike him? LMAO, I'm such a loser. I don't spend on expensive food items unlike him?? LMAO, I'm so weird! I don't take expensive vacations the way he does?? LOLOL I am sooooo strange!!
THEN this asshole mocks some poor dude standing around somewhere who was soliciting donations for a children's charity.
THEN he starts to interrogate me about how often I go to the gym. Not trying to boast in any way here but I am on the slender side. But off he goes with the mockery: I don't go to the gym daily??? LMFAO why not?? HE goes to the gym daily!
(Not to be rude or anything but I sure wouldn't at all have guessed that last part? Guy has a very um, feminine kind of look on his face? It's all soft and doughy and pudgy. I dunno if opiate/opioid painkillers do that to facial tissue when combined with alcohol.)
He made fun of project dwellings and the neighborhoods they're in. Seems interesting that a guy who claimed to have grown up pooworking-class would keep shitting on everyone else for THEIR station in life, and enjoys a great lifestyle without working.
Next round of interrogation: DO I ENJOY ETHNIC FOODS? Um yeah dude I do. VERY GOOD! Shows I like to try new things. That's good. Said in a very very patronizing way like how one would speak to a dog that fetched a ball.
He then asked me repeatedly if other men had been out on dates with me. I was like, 'huh?' And he said a couple of times that he'd bet there was a long line of men waiting to go out with me. Uh, okay?
When he dropped me off, he didn't even give me time to shut his car door. He was already driving off. He did tell me in a very pompous type of way as if I had passed some type of test that he wanted to see me again. I said something like 'oh that's great, yeah'.
WTF was going on with this man??? Are these behaviors concurrent with TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury)? Could he be a painkiller addict?
Is this a mental illness problem? What is this about?

So little back story, my moms boyfriend is a big food person and hates food being wasted and him (k for short) have been dating my mom for about 6ish months
So yesterday he volunteered to take us out to El mariachi for Mother’s Day dinner but my friend (p for short) was spending the weekend at my house but my mom said p can come with us (he didn’t ask to come with but he dislikes saying no to people so he came with) but we get there everything is fine and our food comes me and p finish our sodas and when the waiter came and took our drinks he said “this refill will be free but the next time I’ll be charged” and then when p finished his second refill he asked to get water instead of the third refill so my mom didn’t get charged (my mom was paying for p and her bf was paying for me, my brother and mom) and p drops a shrimp on the floor and I notice a K has a pissed off look on his face and when he and my mom talk my mom ends up getting an pissed off look as well and fast forward to next morning I text my mom while I’m at school wondering why K and her looked pissed and mom said this “P, and how the shrimp kept falling in the floor etc.. his meal was 18.00 the most expensive meal out of all of us, then changed from pop which was 2.60 then changed to water. Which is free.” And I start defending my friend bc she was making it sound like P ruined the whole night (at least I thought if I read that wrong plz say) and I told her that P changed to water so she wouldn’t get charged for refills and she says refills are free (if it was it would’ve been in the smaller text ever bc I didn’t read anything abt refills) and I start asking why K would be mad for a kid he didn’t even pay for and sha says this “Because he cares, he’s should have been upset honestly…. K knows how hard I work and how I’m sitting financially so it affects him” (my mom rarely works at her second job) and I start defending for P again and she says this “Because you don’t work or earn money. You don’t even take your chores seriously. So you wouldn’t understand” (she literally paid me for doing yard work last week).
Sorry for the long ass paragraph but I just want to know if I did the right thing or what I should do now but here’s what P said when I told him what was going on
“I dropped one shrimp and why would he be mad he didn't pay for me did he and even if he did one shrimp and he got pissed off about that? That's not my fault it just shows his character”
“There's no way he actually got mad about that. It's just so trivial”
“Ok I was fine staying they brought me along I didn't ask to come as asked if I was coming with it was on there terms not mine”
“If he had problem with me coming he should've spoken up before I came with you guys and it was one shrimp and out of the 12 that were on that tray plus the rest of the food that one shrimp would be worth under a dollar”
“But I'm not trying to sound ungrateful I'm glad y'all decided to bring me but if I would known it would be a big deal I wouldn't have came”
Might be unneeded info but this is one of the one time actually talk against my moms opinions because I genuinely fear her (I get yelled every now and then for falling asleep in the living room or checking a text/notification)

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These life hacks will make your daily to-dos (plus a few random projects) so much easier!

1. Pasta Lighter

We’re sure you’re stocking up on sweet-smelling candles to make your home extra cozy for the colder months. But, if your candles are burning too low to reach the wick, there’s no reason to go without your favorite scent. Instead of burning your fingers, light a piece of uncooked spaghetti. It’ll reach into those deep candles and burn long enough to light the candles on grandpa’s birthday cake!
Everyone enjoys saving money, especially when it comes to improving your home. So check out these 35 amazingly cheap handy hints using everyday items.

2. Remove Highlighter Stains

Ever wish you could remove highlighter marks from a book? Lemon juice fades highlighter enough to make it virtually undetectable. Cut a lemon in half and get some juice on a cotton swab. Run the swab over the highlighted text and watch the color fade.
Lemon juice from a container also seems to do the trick. Though not quite as well on the pieces we tested, and the older the mark, the more stubborn it is to remove. Plus, check out these secret cleaning tips from the pros.

1. Puppy Slow Feeder

My puppy was eating his food too fast, resulting in him vomiting it back up. Instead of buying a slow-feed bowl, I drilled holes into a 12 in. length of 2 in. PVC pipe and capped the ends. I fill the tube with puppy food, and he has to roll it around to get the food to fall out of the holes. My puppy gets all the food he needs without the mess that comes from eating too fast. Be sure the holes are large enough for the food to come out! – Charlie May
Check out these clever and unusual ideas about how to make your pet happier, healthier and more comfortable, using items you’ll find around the house.

4. Identify Your Keys at a Glance

“It seems the older I get, the more keys I carry around. Between the car, house, shed and garage, I have a whole pocket full of keys. To make it easier to quickly find my most used keys, I paint both sides of the key head with brightly colored nail polish. I use a different color for each key. The nail polish is extremely durable and you’ll be surprised how much longer it lasts than spray paint.” —Joseph Grayson Check out these other 14 Secret Tool Tips for DIYers from the Pros.

5. Pool Noodle Water Hose

If you need to fill up a bucket that won’t fit under your sink’s faucet, bust out a pool noodle. Set the bucket on the floor, slip the pool noodle over the faucet and run it down to the bucket. Check out these pool noodle hacks that will improve your life.

My god. I just about died laughing. My folks have been in Colorado about an hour north of Denver since '82. I'm almost in my 30s, and have lived in Colorado almost my whole life, except for a year in New Zealand.
My mother forgot about Casa Bonita until one evening when she when she was up late pricing Christmas ornaments and watching late night TV. One of the shows was the Casa Bonita South Park episode. This episode of South Park opened up a whole vault of memories. How it was a chain from OKC and now is the only one left is in Lakewood. A old friends sister who used to be a fire spinner in the late 70s. The flags on the table for the only edible food, the sopapilla. (Sopapilla: fried dough normally topped with cinnamon sugar and or honey, similar to a beignets, but also sometimes stuffed with savory fillings like Navajo Tacos.)
WELP. This started my mother to planning a whole day in Denver. We went to get my catholic school uniform because of course we had to drive to Denver to get my damn jumpers and skirts, so lets make it fun. It was a random Wednesday in the summer we took the aged truck down to Denver. (yes my mother was already working on Christmas durning the summer, retail!). Got my uniform and headed to Casa Bonita.
We pulled up to the pink building next to the 99 cent shop, and Big Sir Waterbed. I was unimpressed with the uniform I'd have to wear and now a strange pink builing. Honestly the water bed place looked more entertaining. But in we went. Like holy shit! Who knew this weird pink building had a indoor water fall! We could sit next to the cliff divers, and chat with them the whole time! There was also a gorilla who would chase the cliff divers . (We were also probably the only patrons there, maybe 8 other people max.) I got a raise a little flag to eat more sopapilla. There was the mines! And a jail! Seeing as there was no one there my mother just let me run around and be the little weirdo i was.
It's a fond memory. Years later one of the radio stations had "Nerfs LOL at 505" and they made a spoof on a Casa Bonita daycare for kids, this was probably 2012~13. It talk about the waterbed nextdoor and 'how it was ok for the kids to be in the kitchen because all they used is a microwave!'. It got me and my other friends talking about it and how we should take a trip. The trip never happened, but it was fun the share memories of our weird childhood restaurant that only the lower income kids or the kids who's parents worked too much went to.
Then 2019 (i think) rolled around and Casa Bonita was expected to close. One of the good things that happened in 2020 was the South Park guys buy the old pink building. It sparked talk on a Discord, a lot of NoCo folks on there. And i had the pleasure for informing the other folks on there that "yes Casa Bonita is real." And "No, the South Park guys did not make it up." I was so fun to let people know that it was a real place.
I've gotten a few regular at the bar I work at tell me about their trips down there, but non of them grew up here in Colorado, they only know it due to the show. They all have had a fun time, told me the food was edible and they enjoyed it, and they still have the sopapilla flags.

Hey there. I’m a 39F and looking for macro suggestions. I paid for a fitness plan which was great and got great advice but don’t participate anymore. This is what they suggested (approx.)
Current suggested plan: Food 1360 calories but not including veggies which should be eaten with every meal 120g - protein 40-50g - fat 140-150g - carbs
Fitness 10k steps daily 4x/ week of weight training 2x/ week 60min low intensity cardio
Challenges: - I am trying not to eat too many processed foods like fake meats, which is also my primary source of protein (also there’s tons of sodium in processed foods) - I am avoiding eggs - I am keeping nonfat Greek yogurt in my diet and maybe this is where I increase my protein - I was trying to be more plant based - If I aim to eat more whole foods, it is really hard to get 120g of protein plus I increase me carb intake significantly
My goals: - Weight loss (long term goal is 120-125) - Muscle toning, avoiding bulk, just want to be a bit stronger
I would love to know: - How much protein can I eat to still attain goals - Will the increase in carbs have negative effects on my goals if I’m hitting my fitness targets? - Any vegetarian/vegan suggestions for adjusting my macro targets?

Looking for advice. Been on since late December. Sw 150. Cw 142. I’ve been prioritizing protein and making sure I’m at least getting 60g a day, however I know I should be doubling that. I’m trying to determine if I’ll simply a non-responder? Current dose is 40 units/ 1mg per week, so I’m not at therapeutic dose yet of 1.7mg. There is food noise reduction but I’m also forcing myself to eat so I get protein but I think I’m still boredom eating and chasing the dopamine rush that isn’t there any longer. My energy levels have plummeted since I’ve started, so I’ve added magnesium, electrolytes, b12, iron and a multi vitamin daily with no improvement. The fatigue is horrible even though I feel I’m eating enough calories. I’m 5 months in and have only lost 8 pounds. Not sure what my options are. Unable to workout due to fatigue. Any advice is welcome!

There’s this weird stigma amongst the general population(this is me I’m not a pro, but just someone that’s lost some weight) that the scale going up is ALWAYS a bad thing. We start these diets with the intent of cutting and restricting calories and coming at a weight loss journey with the viewpoint that the scale staying the same or going up is the end of the world. I would make the argument that you upping your calories, doing a good strength training routine(one created by a professional), and trying to add muscle and strength is more important long term than just cutting calories and losing weight. You’ll look better, you’ll feel better and psychologically you’re changing your relationship with diet and exercise. Instead of viewing food as something you need to restrict, you start to view it as fuel for your body to recover and build. Instead of being tired in the gym you’re energized and ready to push heavy shit. Shifting how you view this and being okay with the scale going up, to me, is the most important part. This is a lifelong mission. Youre gonna have rough weeks or months that will send you into a spiral if you’re not prepared and equipped to face them. Let’s focus on getting strong lads and lasses and win the long term game.

I (22F) have had waves of on and off intense pain for the past four years. I was never able to link it to anything, it never seemed to be connected to what I ate or what I did. However, over the past two weeks I’ve been getting the exact same pain almost immediately after I take a few bites of any food, and there is constant pain in the right upper quadrant of my stomach.
So today I finally bit the bullet and made an appointment with my gp. I was scared of being told that I’m too young to be having issues, or that I just need to eat better and exercise more, but she told me that she suspects cholecystitis and sent me to get blood work and an ultrasound done.
I have been looking up what cholecystitis is and what the symptoms could be, and a whole host of issues I have been dealing with for years make so much sense when framing it as gallbladder issues.
I also dug up some old medical records because I vaguely remembered being told I had tiny gallstones show up in an ultrasound but that they weren’t anything to worry about. Sure enough, gallstones were found on an ultrasound for separate liver issues in 2021.
I’m almost praying they find gallstones again during my ultrasound tomorrow because then I will finally have an answer as to what has been causing this terrible pain. I don’t know if removal would be an option if they do find gallstones, but I will do almost anything to be rid of the pain.
Just needed to vent, thanks to anyone who read this :)

Hi everyone, I am really in need of support/advice here.
I just took my 6 month old catahoula cross to the vet for pink eye. We've had her for 2.5 months. She loves the vet and is super excited to see other people and dogs, but she took me off guard by just how crazy she was acting. Some context is she was spayed just under 2 weeks ago (I would’ve preferred to wait for her to be older to be spayed but it was a requirement of the rescue we adopted her from). Since it hasn’t been yet two weeks, she’s been stuck mostly inside the house, with only short walks allowed per the vet’s instructions. Despite tons of enrichment and training, she has been super restless and has been a pain frankly. Usually I take her to the park and let her run for 20-30 mins in the morning to let her energy out, but we haven’t been able to do this. I was super embarrassed by her crazy behaviour at the vet regardless of the cause, and wish I had a better handle of the situation.
Anyway, we go in the examination room and it's this 60-70 year old man on the phone (not the usual vet). He hangs up the phone eventually, and starts by asking how long we’ve had our puppy for (just under 3 months). Then he said “what’s the most important thing in a dog’s life” and so I said “food” and he said “no! it’s a dog’s snout. now watch this” and he pulls the puppy over to him, putting her body against his and grabbing her snout with his one hand. He goes “Your problem is you’ve been talking to her in a sing-song voice, saying “good girl” but she is actually being a bad girl" (I had been rewarding with treats and praise for her being calm and just sniffing around once we’d been shut in the examination room). "Right now you are letting her run the show, you have to be the alpha, so whenever you are watching tv at home grab her snout like this so she knows her place.” And then he lets go of her and is all like see now she’s super calm! When she was acting calm before the snout-grabbing lol. I explained she just got surgery and has been super restless at home, and he dismissed me.
He went on and on about the alpha stuff, and then he says “I had this one dog come in and he had a biting problem and had been given up by his previous owners, but I said to the new owners take off the muzzle, and I grabbed his snout like that and then he never bit me” Thing is that our puppy never bites, it’s actually what stood out to me at the shelter was how unlike her siblings she didn’t really nip. I know her jumping up and general crazy behaviour at first was problematic, but she did calm down so it didn’t prevent him from being able to do his examination, she sat nicely and didn't even squirm or anything when he examined her eyes.
He really upset me. I’ve invested A LOT of time into learning about training and training our dog, and so for him to tell me flat out that she’s a bad dog was very hurtful. I know that the whole you-must-be-the-alpha deal has been discredited, so for him to go off like unprompted that is really something. He spent 20 minutes lecturing (as old men love to do to young women) and then spent 2 minutes examining my dog's eyes and prescribing drops lol.
I guess I am looking for other people's opinions on what you would do in this situation- is it a good idea to leave a complaint? Probably I will switch vets, although I like our usual vet a lot. Any evidence based advice on calming my dog down in stimulating environments would be SO helpful. (Currently I just try to reward and praise calm behaviour, we go to to the farmers market every weekend and sit on a nearby bench, rewarding her when she is calm with treats and praise).
TLDR: My vet told me I had a bad dog and needed to discipline her more, because she was over-excited at the vet after being cooped up inside as she recovers from surgery. He talked about needing to “be the alpha” and that I was too easy on her. Am I right to be upset by this un-solicited lecture? Is he right?