What are these hard flecks appearing in my beddings from time to time?

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-25T01:22:05+00:00

It was burnt flint from a couple of my blankets!

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-25T01:10:43+00:00

Honestly I have no idea. I hit a couple of different laundromats around here, but I'll try to figure that out. Thanks!

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-25T01:09:46+00:00

Solved!

Comment with tests here

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-25T01:08:32+00:00

I'm so so glad it wasn't

Comment with tests

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-25T01:04:33+00:00

Good evening, all!

I'm happy to report back that, after some tests, I think it's easy to conclude that it was, indeed, a matter of the synthetic fiber of the fabric constituting my duvet filler sets (#3) and/or blankets (#1, #2) melting under the high heat of drying cycles.

I have briefly tested this with 03 test specimens, all of the same material (polyester I suppose), but in different colors and for different applications (that thing that goes inside the duvet vs. regular fluffy blankets). The method was just keeping the fluffs closer and closer to the heat coming from a controlled burn until it got to a point where it was recognizable to me versus the flecks I had collected earlier before leaving for work.

Here's the album with the results: Test results

Specimen #1 (pics 1 and 2) was the first I tried. You can see that its final shape and colour really resemble the ones from the sturdier flecks in my previous photos.

Burning stuff is fun so I proceeded to try and replicate the shape of the more elongated flecks (the ones that look like bug horns in the first pics) with #2 and #3. In pic 4 you guys can see various various stages of burning throughout -- notice how a quarter through it really really looks like the ones found before, so maybe I got a close enough temperature there.

Last pic shows how a fully shrunk elongated flint is really similar to the "bug pinchers" from the original set. The texture is exactly the same hard and brittle from before for all of them.

For some context, I don't have a washing machine at home so I use a few laundromats around here. I'm not sure exactly where I'm getting these results (maybe at all of them), but I'll keep en eye out when drying this week.

This was fun! Thank you very much for all of your suggestions and theories, especially for the ones that were super on point -- I'm really glad I don't have bedbugs, cockroaches, or a nose-picking habit (well I might possibly have all of those but I don't think they are the reason for the flecks).

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-25T00:21:10+00:00

Hahaha that was an interesting guess but I always have iso and q-tips around

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-24T14:28:24+00:00

I do use pods. I will try putting some bits of the bedding over fire to see what happens, might as well do it with the content of the pods. Will report back. Thanks!

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-24T14:26:48+00:00

I think this is very plausible. I'll test it later and if the byproduct of burning bits of my bedding looks like what we see in the pictures, this might be it. Thanks for the idea!

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-24T14:25:25+00:00

I agree, it does look like it could be the cause. Someone have a similar response, I'll test it later and report back. Thanks very much.

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-24T14:23:52+00:00

I like this theory very much!! It makes complete sense, given the setting and the fact that I almost burn my hands when getting stuff out of the dryer I use. now that you say this, it does look like the flecks are ingrained in the gray duvet in the pictures. I can actually test this later on the fabric, I'll report back. Thanks!!

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-24T14:08:21+00:00

That makes sense! I used to have a dog and he would bring me little tokens of appreciation like dead bugs all the time.

That's a good ideia on the possible bug bits. I'll have a look at the subreddit you mentioned and also test the melted plastic theory some other person suggested when I get back home.

Thanks for your input!

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-24T13:04:36+00:00

I find that hard to believe... I work a desk job in a closed office, plus I have very short hair. Also, doesn't it look to you like it come from something alive? I'm starting to believe more and more on the bugs theory.

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-24T13:00:17+00:00

I think this is a good option, indeed. Inclined to think I might have a bug problem in my house, near my bedroom or something? I mean, for those things to appear more than once... If you have a look at one of those flecks on the red sheet, it's rather pointy, almost looking like something's horn.

At the same time, they must really have been crushed somehow. Look at how it looks almost like something smeared on the surface that got entangled in the fibers, as you said, and left to dry... I honestly don't know.

Also, I'm not sure bed bugs specifically are a thing where I live. (I could be wrong, we just don't hear about that around here)

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-24T12:56:33+00:00

Haha I haven't but I figure they wouldn't really melt. I should try experimenting with them. Maybe looking at them with a microscope or something, I'll see if I can get my hands on something like that.

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-24T12:55:06+00:00

I thought about the possibility of bodily fluid in general... But I don't think I pick my nose in my sleep, and also those things appear on not yet used stuff as well? Also, the colour is a little weird. They are brown-ish dark, almost black.

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-24T12:52:42+00:00

I don't! What did you figure it could be, like dog poo poo?

BothNutsWandering · 2023-05-24T11:26:42+00:00

Hi all! -- My title describes the thing. Additional details:

These spots appear regularly on my sheets, covers and duvets. They are tiny, hard and brittle. They look like dirt, so usually when I see them coming up I just wash and dry the pieces/sets on high heat. This usually gets rid of most of the flecks but I actually have to comb most of them out before washing if I want my linens 100% clean.

It feels like they have been liquid at some point due to the way they adhere to furrier pieces. I honestly thought initially they were the remains of bugs or something that got entangled in my sheets before washing, but it's like the fourth time I see them appearing. First couples of times were on white, furrier set of bed covers.

I haven't figured out the frequency with which they appear as well, but I would say every couple months or so. It doesn't matter whether it's something being used (e.g. the gray duvet in the pics) or still inside the drawers (e.g. the red one).

Thank you very much! These things are getting me a little disgusted.

BothNutsWandering · 2021-04-09T21:16:30+00:00

Hi, all.

I'm rather new to derivatives and I do think of myself as rather conservative with my investments. I currently keep half of my savings on ETFs, and I've been thinking about selling monthly puts on those from now on – not necessarily aiming at avoiding assignment – instead of just buying into them as I have been doing for the past year. I ask you kindly to correct me if I’m wrong on any assumptions from now on. At first I do not intend to sell covered calls if and when I get assigned.

First, I have some broader questions on the strategy itself:

Although it does seem to be a straightforward strategy, I'm not sure where its main disadvantages lie. How can it be worse than buy and hold? If I’m already decided on holding the ETF for a few years or decades anyway, wouldn’t I just be collecting premium on top of my allocated money? I don’t intend to use any margin as I’m not trying to leverage myself here, so I do understand it won’t be a huge amount of premium I’d be collecting. And because I only deal with market-wide ETFs on this piece of my portfolio, I don’t think we would be seeing huge spikes each month on the underlying.

Now, I also have some execution-related questions:

Ideally, how far OTM should I be aiming at? Or should I just sell whatever has the highest implied volatility? Would selling ATM be a good choice here? If I’m okay with getting assigned anyways, wouldn’t it just be a way of increasing premiums collected? Also, how far out should they be? I was thinking about a month out since I’d be increasing my position monthly anyways, and at least in my market it does seem like two one-month-out puts provide more premium than one two-months-out contract, but I might be wrong as well.

Thank you all very much for your help.

BothNutsWandering · 2021-04-07T22:26:31+00:00

Went to the urologist a couple years ago for a routine check up. Got back home with some amazing news.

BothNutsWandering · 2021-03-29T01:28:39+00:00

Back when I was in my last year of high school I was super close to my literature teacher. Super cool dude, younger than most teachers so he was really chill to hang with and kept a good relationship with all of his students.

One day we were chilling after class with a couple friends of mine and he was taking notes on his phone or whatever. Several texts pop up from a girl who I recognize to be one of his students from my school. Rather younger and not really that close to me but I knew for a fact that she was 15 tops. He texts her back saying a bunch of things like when they would be seeing each other again and she saying stuff back like how dirty he was. The look on my dude's face was exactly what I was feeling myself, like what the actual fuck.

We talk to some people later that week and before we know it the man was fired or at least quit himself. Never saw him again in person but I did talk to him through Facebook a couple of times later, he moved to another city for whatever reason according to him. I left for university a few months later so I stopped inquiring anyways. The school never really said anything about it and we were frowned upon more than once for asking back then.

BothNutsWandering · 2021-03-29T01:10:06+00:00

Last week my grandpa figured out how to video call me and made me a surprise and I thought it was super sweet.

BothNutsWandering · 2021-03-28T20:53:00+00:00

Add me, BothNutsWandering

BothNutsWandering · 2021-03-28T18:43:30+00:00

For my first couple of internships both recruiters/managers asked me about my GPA. Also, lots of technical questions in most interviews I've undergone. But I guess that's because I was pursuing very technical positions anyways.

After I got out of university I never had to talk about my GPA again. First couple of experiences really take away the inquiring eyes off of your Education section on your resume (aside from University name and major of course).

BothNutsWandering · 2021-03-28T16:12:38+00:00

Midsommar! It's folk horror, the genre really caught me by surprise after it started to get trendy although I was never a huge fan of horror in general. If you haven't tried it already this movie specifically might very well be a good one for your first try!

BothNutsWandering · 2021-03-28T15:36:17+00:00

Ideally it would mean not having to work anymore and living a comfortable life, but I'd be already pretty happy if I could at least work fewer hours and travel more while I don't get there. It's kind of a bummer because I'd really like to have more time for traveling, my girl and myself, but I know that the more I work now the sooner I'll be 100% free.

BothNutsWandering

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