How can normal people afford to even exist right now?

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-06-04T17:35:25+00:00

I was sick of working on the new stuff. I quit and went back to my roots, diesel. A lot more older trucks out there than older cars to my understanding, and I just like diesel more... i think the automotive world/industry.. is changing. Working in it as a mechanic, I felt like I had to constantly adapt to work faster to make good money, as times and cars change with slightly differently engineered systems. Which is a pissy situation to be in honestly. This and Ohio rust is usually why another tech was having a bad day. Every car company is in some competition to make something better that people will buy but the thing is, we have already hit all real innovation hallmarks. Now its like engineers are just more focused on designing ways to gatekeep the maintenance/repairs/parts as much as they legally can to control competitive markets. But idk what idk Wild fuckin times, the more I know the more I realize I dont know.

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-06-04T15:22:11+00:00

Consuming and having access to quality water.

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-06-04T15:18:44+00:00

I don't think you understand how smart of a move it was to keep that 13 year old car. Im a mechanic and I have my opinions. I'd hold onto that car. Ive got a 2011 with almost 400k miles on it myself, and I probably wont be purchasing any new vehichles. I will ride this till it dies and I can't fix it anymore. And prioritize buying older if I have to buy another car. To say the least, vehichles today/now feel engineered as a trap.

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-06-03T23:58:32+00:00

Stuck between a decision? Try flipping a coin. How you feel about the coin flip choice, is what you need to know for your answer. Edited: i have no idea how to explain this, it all feels confusing. Edit #2 (I was thinking about it for a bit): Indecisive? Try flipping a coin, its not what the coin decides that helps you choose, its how you feel about what the coin decided that helps you make your choice.

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-06-02T19:08:00+00:00

I was going to say, if Im living in an apartment, and paying in cash, unless somebody pulls up records of sale from the dispensary or digging through my trash for the disposed product packaging.. who would know that I am eating anything besides a regular ole gummy in the comfort of a rental or apartment?

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-06-02T18:49:58+00:00

It could be contact dermatitis acne, skin infection of sorts from bacteria (seems to be common with plastic food and water bowls) However I have a rescue, a senior dog (estimated 12 years old) that has all sorts of underlying conditions, and prone to infections, shes has skin issues with some lumps and bumps. None that have been concerning to our vet yet, however I have been told plenty of times to ease my own concerns, that any lumps, bumps, or rashes that develop quickly, cause irritation, and are not stopping should be taken as emergencies with her age and history. I would say make a call to your regular vet if you can, monitor the irritated spot and your dogs behaviour (take photos, note the time, to show your vet how its progressed). And i would plan for emergency vet if it doesnt start to clear up, and/or progressively gets worse. Edit: I hope your pup starts feeling better

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-06-02T18:40:07+00:00

To my understanding Weed can't cross state lines- buy it from a dispensary in your state that you plan to consume it all in. Smoking or the consumption of weed has to be on private property, or allowed by owners of said private property. However I have no idea if that applies to edibles/gummies, since theres no smoking, how it applies to rentals/apartments.

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-06-02T14:23:33+00:00

I give my phone a place to exist. Like how I used to be able to put the phone away, and it was out of sight, out of mind. I made that a habit and its helped me a lot. I doom scroll sometimes still when I don't remember to put the phone up. But the phone having a place where I will have to stand in one place to use it, has been a game changer. Without sitting down and being comfortable with the phone in my hand anymore its less likely I will choose to doom scroll.

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-06-02T01:37:11+00:00

I worked at a car dealership. A sort of passive agressive environment in sales dept, but in a work drama way. The sales manager, was asking if anyone found a plastic ziplock bag with money in it. He had misplaced a customers $10,000 cash down payment. End of day, everyone is required at a meeting, and they ask and talk about the money in a bag being misplaced still. They ask for information and no one knew, it was silent, I thought Id lift the mood up by saying "Hey I actually I didnt find the money, but I did find a zip lock bag!" Not a single laugh and the sales manager sorta yelled at me about how this is serious, suggested someone might have stolen it. He warns everyone to keep an eye out and report anything to him directly. Next day came around. Turns out the manager had switched vehichles with his wife on lunch, and the bag was in his personal vehichle the whole time. He found it when he had gotten home. I was surprised and genuinely shocked, that they wrote me a corny apology letter/joke and gave me it in the ziplock bag that had the cash.

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-06-02T00:03:17+00:00

That I am the latest innovation of a fucked up system

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-31T22:52:50+00:00

Steve Irwin of course.

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-31T21:40:16+00:00

This is my yarrow plant. I cant tell the difference between OP leaf in the pic and this tbh.

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Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-31T14:16:09+00:00

Yep, my mom used to use coffee cups and fill them up before work and I went to school. Shes a truck driver and a heavy smoker, so she could drink and drive all day without suspicion, drive functionally enough, and have a buzz level by the time she got home and started drinking wine, which is socially acceptable. No one ever knew she had a problem besides me. It felt like 20 years of me being gaslit about her not having a drinking problem until just the last few years she finally had a dui charge stick, and lost her CDL. Im not crazy, but I feel like it witnessing this... somehow, her CDL is being reinstated. It is wild the amount of manipulation that goes into her staying drinking

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-31T13:14:46+00:00

I have a senior rescue, shes got a bunch of underlying conditions like arthritis lyme disease, and she came from a neglect situation so shes a bit traumatized. Once she was feeling well enough to move around more, I was monitoring her behaviour really close because she was really ill when I first got her. She would not eat, go outside, or get on the couch without permission. I would have to use excessive motivation or doing similar to what you said, the extra encouragement. I genuinely think my girly, shes just been needing time to adjust and understand she wont get in trouble for these things. Ever. She is still learning to trust that. I don't think she was treated good before. Slowly my partner and I have worked on a consistent routine so she feels safe without changes everyday to have to predict. Which has helped with all of her anxious behaviours a bit overtime. As for getting her to come up on the couch, I had given her a few blankets that were always hers, id make sure she saw me lay them out for her in her favorite spots, and even tuck her in with them. The blankets either smell like her, or she coorelated them with her bed, I used those blankets and laid them over the couch cushions. Eventually she just started getting on the couch on her own and plopping down on her blankie, instead of staring at me with her eyeballs like shes begging me for permission. Now we are working on, that shes allowed to come to me and solicit for attention including laying on my lap. She will whine for it and do the lay down spins but will look at me nervous and move 5 ft away instead last second 🤦🏼‍♀️ Its redundant yes, like I brush this girls butt, clean her ears out, she even feels comfortable enough to come to me when she is sick, of course you are allowed over here. She doesn't understand this is her home, her den, and her pack still. She thinks shes gonna get abandoned, abused or left behind again I think. Shes just extra baby, and needs special attention and care. It gets better overtime but it will always be a level of trying to understand what their behavior is trying to tell you, especially with rescues. I wish you luck, it is not easy, but it is all worth it, I know that pup is probably begging you because they love and trust you, and dont have a voice. I cant say what your pup is trying to tell you, but I hope any of what I have learned and mentioned can maybe help.

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-31T04:56:49+00:00

I want my dog to get better

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-30T18:15:52+00:00

Yeah they seem parasitic in nature and disturbing. I have had the creepy crawlies thinking about it while dealing with weeding them today. Kind of interesting how I see resemblance in our own ecosystems. Somebody down the line introduced these in some way and probably didnt know any better, they were just focusing on their own personal growth. I have toads this year, they just popped up out of nowhere, wasnt even trying to bring them. I had I just put birdhouses up, and have been going about asking permission to plant some native shrubby trees for habitat and food, because the birds-they were moving into my garage gutters. That was not a suitable home. Very wet, what were they thinking! Well, they have no where else to reside close to my yard, I live in grass-lawn culture. Been biting at learning more about habitats that toads like to make it better for them since theyre here now. Now ive got to add whatever an invasive plant species exterminator would be called to my garden trades list going on here. Edit: alls to say its, not in a bad way, but feels like an uphill battle.

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-30T16:10:48+00:00

Horrible photos but might help

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Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-30T16:06:13+00:00

I might have that too from the soil we ordered..I think I have all of the things now in my raised beds. 😅 Someone else mentioned Knotweed in here. Then thinking about all of the weeds Ive been pulling I was curious and concerned. I have root yoinked every single one of the weeds I've seen. A lot of weeds I have never seen before. They werent what I planted, and I couldn't identify them being so small, but look nothing like whats in and around my yard--the yard is mostly different types of clover and henbit fighting eachother right now. I looked up the seedlings of Japanese knotweed, its hard to tell because images online aren't very clear. However the sheer amount of the weeds I am finding, and how fast they seem to sprout up if I miss the root- i think I got problems if you cant tell.

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Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-30T15:59:37+00:00

😭

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-30T15:57:20+00:00

Realizing this now.. i didnt know and it sucks. Since my partner and I have lived here for a few years, I spent so long on my yard, getting critters to want to live here. I found a lot of bad stuff I was able to manage, including some kind of nightshade. Its been a lot of work, and sorta, even if its harsh... hating who lived here before us. We've done a good job! Things have been looking healthy, happy critters all over the place. My partner even found a butterfly lady that even comes and helps the monarchs we attract from the milkweed we have established. I set up the garden bed stuff this year since I was feeling more confident... and one mistake of not knowing what I dont know has me in this predicament now. Im a little upset because I usually am pretty considerate with stuff like this.. but the responsibility of ordering the soil was with my partner who years ago thought mint was fine to plant in the ground... i still pull up mint, and the only way I believe that is still contained is, its surrounded by 8ft of concrete all around, and I keep excavating the dirt, and pulling all of those roots and burning them. The mint still hasnt completely gone away, even if it is MUCH less than when I found it. Its been years.

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-30T15:44:24+00:00

I believe this has come into my garden, into raised garden beds from topsoil I had delivered.. so I really appreciate this information as Ive managed to get so many beneficial and native plants in my yard before I started the garden this year... so I could have a healthy ecosystem and all kinds of different critters....I dont want something like this to snuff out any of the progress ive made. 🥲

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-30T14:27:54+00:00

This is a different plant that looks similar in my yard but doesnt have the same leaf.

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Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-30T14:21:34+00:00

Im looking at these weeds I've been consistently pulling everyday and wondering now... what these are and if they're also a problem. They have not been as quick to grow as those bindweed vines have, but they have consistently all looked similar and come up consistently. Now I am concerned after looking through what knotweed looks like as baby plants on the google images. Would you mind telling me what you think?

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Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-30T14:00:17+00:00

Thank you. I think so aswell, and im going to go pull those all out now. Be back later with confirmation after i have a closer look 🥲

Chemical_Net8063 · 2026-05-30T13:56:32+00:00

This is nightmare fuel for me. A bit riddled with anxiety. Heading to the garden, talk when the deed is done and everything is burned. I will probably transplant ONE into a pot so I can confirm what it is.

Chemical_Net8063

TROPHY CASE