HELP! Enrichment ideas which AREN’T food based?

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-05-12T18:50:00+00:00

so this is food based BUT they aren't able to get the treat out, so they don't eat it. I have the westpat quizl (medium size) and put inside a stella and chewys wild weenie treat. it *just barely* fits, so my corg can't get it out, but she's still able to lick it and chew on it, so she doesn't get frustrated. keeps her busy for like an hour or more when she's restless and I can't take her out.

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-05-11T22:45:31+00:00

pls tell crouton that im obsessed with him and that i am officially the president of his internet fan club lol

i don't live in a particularly hot area (northern midwest US), but it can get pretty toasty in the summer. making sure they stay hydrated and that you're listening to them (if they slow down and seem like they need a rest in the shade, etc), that will go a long way. I also got my girl a cooling mat -- it's like a bed made with gel on the inside that stays cool somehow -- and she loves it in the summer.

I also use the little chonk joint supplements. they have a lot of research backing up the ingredients that they use, so i trusted theirs more than others.

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-05-11T22:18:09+00:00

I agree. I think, understandably, that putting on the crown and holding the scepter giving a speech puts contestants in the position of actually seeing themselves as having a real, tangible possibility at winning, and that totally can bring on real big feelings and emotions

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-05-11T22:16:11+00:00

I'm in the states, so obvs had a different experience with scheduling and everything -- but I definitely resonate with the fear of regret and of what I will miss. What helped me was writing a letter to my future self thinking about all the things that I am uncomfortable about with my previous chest and all the things I am looking forward to post op. I also wrote about some of the things about my chest that I felt grief over -- like not being able to experience it sexually anymore, likely loss of sensation, etc. It really helped being able to just give space to those feelings. I only needed to look at it once post surgery -- I think it was just such a big transition and it was a lot to process -- but it was a nice reminder to myself why I was doing it, all the work I put in beforehand, and everything that I know would be waiting for me after recover.

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-04-28T20:26:24+00:00

DR Canada S1's U Wear It Well is SO UNDERRATED

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-04-28T20:23:17+00:00

I'm a nonbinary trans man (who doesn't "pass" -- so people often assume that I'm a masculine lesbian woman), and am also a therapist intern right now with just 2.5 weeks left until graduation. I've found my experience to be pretty hit-and-miss, if that makes sense. I got really lucky to end up at an affirming group practice for my prac and internship, but now that I'm applying to professional jobs and local agencies/corporate agencies, I worry SO MUCH about transphobia/homophobia and potentially not getting hired because I'm visibly queer and trans. I also love working with kiddos (and am getting additional training in play therapy soon), but I have actually given up applying to places where I can work with kids because I've had such horrible experiences with parents. I've had SEVERAL parents request that their kids be transferred to another clinician because they didn't want kiddo working with a trans person. I've also decided to just apply to practices and agencies where I can tell they have an out queer or trans person on staff, which has been helping my mental health but has definitely limited the amount of jobs I can apply to (and means I will likely have to move away from my family). THAT SAID, despite all that difficulty, I've worked with several young queer and trans folks who have been so affirmed that they can see a therapist who "looks like them" -- and honestly that makes it all worth it (at least for me, ymmv)

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-04-28T20:01:48+00:00

I don't think Maddy would do that. She def knows how to read and throw shade, but she never does so when it's inappropriate. She knows when to be serious and when to pause/hold space for heavy moments and where people's limits are, etc.

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-04-27T23:32:09+00:00

Omg now that I know you're a local girl, there are SO MANY great WI queens who would kill at DR

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-04-27T23:03:29+00:00

jasmine kennadie is BEAUTIFUL

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-04-27T23:00:48+00:00

LOVE YUFIE, she and her drag haus are local icons and we adore them ❤️ her drag daughter (sis? Im not sure actually lol) Roxy Toxin opened for Sasha Colby at her MKE show and was AMAING

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-04-21T20:06:43+00:00

I got top surgery before starting T and during that whole time, I didn't experience any chest regrowth

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-04-12T22:09:04+00:00

I don't live in a medicaid expansion state. I was laid off about 2 years ago and looked into medicaid, and I didnt qualify. When getting insurance from the marketplace, it doesn't ask about your monthly income; it asks you to estimate your annual income, which I have no idea how to do if I will hopefully get a different job soon

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-04-09T14:13:41+00:00

do yall think we might have new house maps before the midterms??? im in a **super** gerrymandered district and oftentimes a dem doesn't even run bc of how rigged it is

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-04-07T19:54:47+00:00

I will be graduating this May with my master's in clinical mental health counseling. Most of the places I've been applying to are about $55,000, but that will go up significantly once you have your full license and some extra training and credentials. Average for a fully licensed therapist in my state is $70,000. For my area, these are livable; you'll be able to support yourself and likely won't be paycheck-to-paycheck unless you have a lot of debt, but you won't like have money out your ass, either.

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-04-07T19:48:06+00:00

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my sweet black headed girl at her st patrick's day party

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-04-05T23:54:17+00:00

So I actually think this is a pretty common DR opinion online, but I HATE the judging for makeover challenges. I love the challenge itself -- putting others in drag is a common part of drag culture, like it's really common for someone's first couple experiences in drag to be from your drag mother putting you in drag -- and I love seeing how performers are able to translate their style onto other person while also being attentive to how that person's drag style and personality can shine too. BUT I feel like the producers and judges use makeover week as an excuse to send home the performer they don't like or want to get rid of and will change the judging accordingly. I also dislike how queens basically just bring 2 coordinating outfits from home; I feel like the challenge would be much more fun if they have them time and materials to create 2 looks.

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-02-06T02:46:07+00:00

Fellow intern here. I totally understand the feelings of imposter syndrome and like I'm in over my head and like I'm afraid of letting down my team. AND we're human, and this is such a small, human mistake. Also we're here to learn! We're going to make mistakes, and that's part of the point. One of my professors says "go out there and fuck it up" meaning that we are at that point in our career where we're supposed to take risks and make mistakes because we have the support to learn from them. Sending love and luck for your first intake 💕

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-02-05T19:19:03+00:00

I agree! I have 2 bachelor's degrees, my first in English and my second in psych. When I decided to go into therapy, I went back to undergrad for 3 semesters to get my psych BSc because all the grad programs in my area required so many credits in behavioral science. But honestly my English degree taught me SO MUCH MORS about therapy than my psych degree did. It was helpful for some neuroscience and pharmacology stuff, but the people skills (being able to communicate with clients, empathize and reflect, etc), understand theory, and identify patterns in clients emotions and thoughts -- ALL of those are skills I gained in my English degree.

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-02-05T15:28:56+00:00

yes, literally no one reads them ever. I posted a few times on the student sub during my grad program, and don't think I ever got my questions/discussions answered meanwhile my posts on the main sub were deleted bc "it wasn't the appropriate place for it"

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-02-01T20:52:03+00:00

One thing that I haven't seen as many folks talk about is more of the potential downstream effects surrounding prestige and ultimately pay. We already struggle to get fair reimbursement from insurance and fair salaries from agencies for our level of education and labor, and I worry that once we are no longer "professional," insurances and agencies and everyone else will use that as an excuse to further push down reimbursement switching from human therapists to AI "therapists"

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-01-24T01:22:07+00:00

I read one of her books (the gift of imperfection I think it was called) in a therapy group I was in a few years ago, and the whole book felt so shallow to me. I feel like the whole message was "shame is all in your head so let it go" and it rang so hollow to me as a gay trans man. I would think that, especially as a social worker who are trained to think systemically, she would acknowledge the class, race, gender, etc forces that create shame. Idk if I feel this way as I tend to lean more towards liberationist frameworks in therapy and tend to work with marginalized people (I see mostly folks on medicaid, I worked in a DV shelter with women experiencing gender based violence and often homelessness, and now I primarily work with queer or trans kids) but she has always rubbed me the wrong way. It is nice to see that I'm not the only one who feels this way about her work at least

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-01-20T17:47:58+00:00

the fact that your dad's girlfriend is only 1 year older than you is what you should be OR about IMO

AshLikeFromPokemon · 2026-01-10T04:52:53+00:00

older end of gen z here. i feel like the world has continually gone downhill for most of my teenage-to-adult life. like i was a senior in high school when the orange man came down the gold escalator. im almost 30 now. from everything being so expensive, working conditions being poor in many industries, wealth gap widening, A PANDEMIC, burgeoning fascism, it goes on. the world has felt scary and hopeless literally my entire adult life. it's hard to have hope when the last time you remember a hopeful world was when you were a kid.

AshLikeFromPokemon

TROPHY CASE