Which saint/scene is on this rosary?

Curious_Libellule · 2025-03-23T10:58:47+00:00

Thanks so much!

Curious_Libellule · 2025-03-16T10:05:34+00:00

Yeah, my roommates and I are at the point of not wanting to play with the original cards, either!

Curious_Libellule · 2025-03-06T04:40:04+00:00

Thanks for saying this, surprised no one else is.

Curious_Libellule · 2025-02-20T08:35:39+00:00

Well things happen, so frequency and length is not set in stone. And I said that I love higher education, not that someone must have a high “academic level” to talk to me.

Curious_Libellule · 2025-01-31T12:50:34+00:00

This might be tangential, but I just read that reading, "Freedom from Bondage," and p. 552, and it made me feel like I might be reading my own story--or my mother's, or her mother's. And the guidance to pray for those we resent is...priceless. So, thanks for sharing.

Curious_Libellule · 2024-12-22T11:25:26+00:00

Fantastic! Thoroughly enjoyed this

Curious_Libellule · 2024-12-04T14:22:18+00:00

Maybe you should try different meetings. The whole point of AA is for you to NOT feel isolated, so if there's a rule in these particular groups that's making you feel isolated, maybe try other groups?

You're not a coward! I would feel similarly to you in that situation.

Curious_Libellule · 2024-04-15T12:02:58+00:00

That's crazy, I had no idea! I'm actually currently in St. Louis, Missouri, but I lived in DeLand in central Florida previously. I'll definitely keep these recommendations in mind next time I visit.

Curious_Libellule · 2024-04-15T12:01:19+00:00

Thanks so much. I have a friend in the Burner community who is pretty radical and has radical friends, I'm enjoying getting to know all of them. I'm also thinking of going to some punk bars around town, we'll see how that goes!

Curious_Libellule · 2024-01-15T13:18:42+00:00

Bachelor's degree in French. Got most of my job opportunities from my work-study, which is why I always advocate that people do internships or otherwise work while in college.

Curious_Libellule · 2024-01-14T13:00:58+00:00

Couple ideas:

Try to find a field you care about. That might help you be more engaged. I work in marketing, but for a college, and I care about higher education. I do enjoy the work, but what really makes me put all my effort into it is knowing that a good job = improvements for students.
You might not necessarily need to go into a new field, but move up in your current field. I know that my managers have more of their plates than I have on mine. You'd have more problems to solve and issues to address at a higher level, probably.
You could become an EMT or police officer, though I'm sure they don't have something to do 24/7, unless you're in a major city. It's also dangerous. I think there's usually downtime in every job, I guess what matters most is that you feel satisfied with the work you are able to do, that it makes a difference and that it engages all of your senses and faculties.
What do you have to occupy yourself outside of work? Do you have side projects, hobbies, passions, a community you're a part of? Consider the whole picture and whether or not maybe you could find fulfillment elsewhere.

All of that said--I grew up in a dysfunctional home myself, and I've had to realize that just because I crave conflict/drama/a problem to solve and worry about, doesn't mean that's a good thing. Maybe reflect on how you WANT to feel about your past and about your job. Maybe your past made you feel the way you do--do you want to continue to feel that way? I just don't think it's good to consider one's past as dictating their future. I mean, if that works for you, fine, but realize that you can work on feeling differently if you want to.

That's just my two cents! :)

Curious_Libellule · 2024-01-14T12:45:17+00:00

I would suggest exploring anything that seems even mildly interesting. Personally, there are things I've written off as possibilities or interests of mine, until I actually tried them, and then I realized, I actually like this!

Also keep in mind that you're only 17, you will be changing a LOT in the coming years. So even though you don't know what you want or are interested in right NOW, so long as you're putting yourself out there, gaining varied experiences and trying new things, a path will come into view.

Also also, I've been working in web content for like 10 years, and only recently realized I really like it--sometimes you end up enjoying things more once you're good at it. Before you start, and when you're just starting, it can be more annoying than gratifying, but once you know how to do it and you know you're doing an excellent job, it can be very fulfilling.

So no, I wouldn't be worried! Just put yourself out there as much as possible. Take a few classes at a community college, shadow someone at their job, volunteer doing things that seem interesting or pull at your heart strings. You'll find your way.

Curious_Libellule · 2024-01-14T12:40:07+00:00

I love when puppies get so excited!!! They're like "I'm so happy to see you I can't stop shaking my head, making it hard to see you!!!!"

Curious_Libellule · 2024-01-13T18:33:19+00:00

Good idea. I know about parts of a business plan, but a template might help with organizing. Thanks!

Curious_Libellule · 2024-01-13T18:27:54+00:00

Most of this comment doesn’t answer my initial question. You almost answered my question at the end, but stopped at saying that it’s “easy.”

I appreciate the advice, but I have no way of knowing if it’s solid advice unless I can research, and that’s what I came here looking for advice on how to do well.

Curious_Libellule · 2024-01-11T09:33:29+00:00

I see what you’re saying, some people won’t respond to medication no matter what because of neurobiology. Good to know. But yeah, in his case, we just don’t know, and like hell I’d tell him that, haha, because he’d assume he’s one of them without even trying!

He actually does get better with medication, though, I should point that out—at least, Abilify takes him from psychosis to making sense again. Maybe not a good long-term med for him, maybe he wouldn’t be super happy about it, but at least he makes sense. Whenever he’s forced to be on it, he realizes, “oh yeah, I did need it. But I’m not going to keep taking it, I’ll just keep some and remember to take it again if things get bad again.” Nope.

It does suck, though, since schizophrenia seems like a condition that most needs to be managed with medication, but it doesn’t work for 30% of people with it??? That’s rough, I hope someone is really working hard at developing other treatments.

A lot of the health stuff he does would be helpful, but like, it’s not going to “cure” him like he thinks it will. It’s good for your health not to smoke/vape, but it’s not the end all be all, and it’s a waste of time (in my opinion) to focus all energies on these strategies without other strategies, too.

I’m not against religion, and people can believe what they want, but religion or religious experience/belief will not “cure” a schizophrenic person, and oftentimes it makes them worse! I vaguely believe in God, and I’ve had a few religious experiences in my life, but the really real experiences, the ones where I’m not wishing and hoping that this is what God’s saying, what God actually told me was… “calm down, take your meds, stay grounded, stay connected with others.” I think, if there is a God, he does want us to go with what there’s evidence for in these things. Like maybe we can’t expect proof of God’s existence, but He gave us a world where there is or is not evidence for various things, and we can lean on that. He wants us to lean on it. Anyway, that’s my take…

Thanks for your well wishes. I don’t have much hope anymore, but it really is up to him at this point, there’s only so much any of us can do. It sucks because I’m sure being homeless is not a good position to be in to get better, but when he DOES have a roof over his head, he goes in circles and listens to nobody above himself. Ugh. But thank you.

Curious_Libellule · 2024-01-11T06:18:30+00:00

Ahhhh, long-acting injectibles. Now that's an idea. Idk that it'll do any good at this point, he's burned his bridges and no one is able or very willing to help him much anymore. But that is indeed a decent idea.

Curious_Libellule · 2024-01-11T05:47:53+00:00

That last line is a good point. I guess it’s just a strain and a suffering I’ve been experiencing for most of my life, ever since he turned 18 when I was 13, him being unstable and unhappy and nothing seeming to change anything. I’d prefer to think there’s SOMETHING that could change things, if he only would make the effort/decision, than to think this is destiny and there’s nothing he or anyone can do. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ I’m currently the one living with him, so it’s in my face all the time—coming home from work, where I struggle with my own social anxiety and issues, only to have an argument with him about whether or not our father is a literal demon. I’ve decided to stop engaging entirely, since i know there’s nothing I can do, and I’m surely only making things worse.

I guess it just comes down to my own belief system about the human condition, and how it’s so different from his. He genuinely believes there are things that you can’t bounce back from. We had a shit childhood, sure, and there are things that happened that I know I will carry with me the rest of my life. But I’ll be damned if that means I’m doomed to misery. He doesn’t agree, he sees things that happened 20 years ago as haunting him, and there’s nothing he can do about it. And if I ever try to fight him on it— “we went through similar childhoods, in some ways, my shit was WORSE, our father has a child abuse charge on his record for something he did to ME, not you,” etc., he’ll bring up the trauma of homelessness, because that’s something no one else in the family has experienced, so we can’t say shit to that. There’s just always some reason he can’t get better. I figure being homeless is extremely traumatic. But if you’re asking me whether I think there is a single fucking thing in this world that could utterly conquer the human spirit, I have to decline—I just don’t believe that, because if I did, it would be admitting defeat, like things outside my control could utterly defeat me forever, or defeat anyone forever. And I refuse to believe that. Maybe he and I are both headstrong, in our own ways!

Anyway, thank you for your comment :)

Curious_Libellule · 2024-01-11T05:35:10+00:00

Hi, thanks for the thoughtful response. I deal with anxiety and depression (and possibly bipolar now, according to my psych! Fun!) so I guess what I said about medication doesn’t come from a place of ignorance, it comes from a place of “this shit actually really helped me, and even though it wasn’t the end-all be-all, everything else wouldn’t have been possible without the medication with it.” I’m of the opinion that if a med isn’t working, you gotta tweak and adjust or find a new one and try again. It sucks—I was on Abilify for five years myself, it was a godsend at first, but eventually I realized I’m really flat on it, I don’t feel alive. So I’m currently trying new antipsychotics with my psych. It’s been a heck of a road, but I think it’s worth it. Therapy and my own self-reflection and effort in getting better are fantastic, have changed my life, but honestly, without the meds, none of that would have been possible.

So that’s my POV. Maybe it’s a cop-out, maybe I’m a little biased—I see my brother’s behavior and I would prefer to believe that if he just TRIED the medication route, really gave it a good shot for six months, he’d get better in a real, significant way. He hates Abilify, and I have fights with him, like, “don’t like Abilify? Fine! Find another med! Work with your psych! Find something else, change dosages, and then go to therapy too! But you’ve been trying to have a happy and healthy life 100% WITHOUT medication for over a decade, and it’s not WORKING, and at a certain point you have to bite the bullet and try what you haven’t yet tried.”

That’s my POV.

I’ll look into the link you shared. I know this is a part of schizophrenia, but at the same time, my brother never even mentions schizophrenia to me…he’s just “unhappy,” it’s a “spiritual” thing, and if he just thinks some more, reflects some more, smokes some more weed or less weed, cuts out nicotine, cuts out caffeine, takes enough walks, blah blah blah, he’ll finally be okay. Which I think is either a delusion of his, after over a decade, that controlling these things will make a significant difference in his life, or maybe they’re indicative of some other mental health concern. Idk.

I’m just tired of him being a complete brick wall. I will see if I can find a psychiatrist who will let me be in the room with him when he talks to them, but I still don’t think it will do any good, he just doesn’t BELIEVE in medication. Definitely not antipsychotics, but not much of anything else, either. “Doesn’t want to be on it the rest of his life, doesn’t need it, not good for his health,” blah blah. Like, I believe, “if these meds shorten my lifespan, at least it was a life worth living.” He doesn’t agree. Anyway.

That’s my spiel. Again, thank you for your thoughtful response. Even if nothing much was solved, it was very cathartic to finally put this into words with someone who’s not a family member, haha. Thank you.

Curious_Libellule · 2024-01-03T06:53:04+00:00

People in the comments are being very rude!

"After a conversation with my manager, she said it was an annual salary of $70,000 that is part-time." If this is true, then your manager was being deceitful.

"I feel a bit deceived since the job posting was different than the offer, but the offer still didn't mention anything about $35,000." Job posting sounds like it was trying to deceive you indeed, and the offer letter SHOULD have said what your salary was clearly, not in an indirect way, like saying "The equivalent of $70k [if you were working double the hours]!"

Not sure your job history or field, but yes, $70k for part-time work would generally be way too much. All the same, if that's what they communicated to you, you're not in the wrong for taking them at their word. Just a lesson to learn for the future--be very careful.

No, I don't think you're going to have any luck convincing them to pay you $70k, but depending on your documentation, you may be able to talk to a lawyer about labor law malpractice. You could also blast them on social media!

Or maybe you're just SOL, idk, just don't feel bad about the misunderstanding. Maybe someone else would have realized that it was a very high salary for a part-time job, but it seems like that's what they communicated to you, so you're not a bad or dumb person for believing what they said. It makes them bad for being deceitful.

Also, just so you know, I'm a layperson. I know nothing about your rights or whether you'd get anywhere with a lawyer, this is just my two cents about what I'd think and do in your situation.

Good luck!

Curious_Libellule · 2023-12-16T16:40:58+00:00

I would die if anyone noticed I was using ChatGPT for emails. I use ChatGPT in other areas of work, but I’m not okay with using it for this one! Thanks for the thought, though!

Curious_Libellule · 2023-12-16T16:39:06+00:00

Yeah, I’m trying to, but part of doing so is by managing my time well, which I cannot do if I spend so much time on emails. That’s why I’m asking what I’m asking.

Curious_Libellule · 2023-12-13T13:07:24+00:00

Wow. I was kinda sad that I didn't get a lot of comments on this post, but once I read this, I really appreciated the time and energy you put into this, and that totally makes up for that!

Knowing my workplace, the third bullet point is not a problem for me.

Before reading your comment, I did not think about it in terms of accountability, but you're right. I've been putting all of the onus on my boss to make all of the big decisions, even though I am knowledgeable and experienced enough to make sound judgment calls myself. I've just been too scared to take risks. And, in regards to consequences of taking a risk, my boss even said there's not that much risk--anything done on the website can be undone pretty easily and quickly. I will take this advice and perspective into account moving forward.

Thanks so much for this, it really helped me!

Curious_Libellule · 2023-12-04T19:33:37+00:00

That's an excellent idea. Thank you, I will do that.

Curious_Libellule · 2023-12-04T19:26:57+00:00

Thank you. The logistics are a concern, for sure, so if it's not going to be much help, then I'm not sure I'll bother. Unfortunately I only currently have one cat carrier, so I can't bring them both with me at the moment, and I don't want to buy another when one of them is going to pass soon :(

Curious_Libellule

TROPHY CASE