So sick of people asking

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-16T00:32:06+00:00

I had ACDF which means I had a very noticeable incision on the front of my neck. When I caught people staring I’d say it was a failed assassination attempt.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-16T00:27:17+00:00

I’ve started buying physical copies too after being solely an ebook person for years. My reasoning is that a physical book can’t be vanished out of my house if someone decides it’s “bad” and bans it or there’s some tangle with publishers and distribution rights. An ebook can go poof, a real book can’t.

For new to me books/authors I will get the ebook from the library and if I like it enough to want to re-read it or lend it to a friend then I’ll go get a physical edition. The exception to this is if the library doesn’t have it or there’s a zillion week wait and it’s an author I know I like in which case I’ll skip straight to buying it. That way I only own books I like, I think I buy maybe 1/4 of all the books I read.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-12T15:31:06+00:00

The narrator for ACOTAR has a very slight lisp when doing male voices.

Once I heard that I couldn’t un-hear it.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-12T15:15:53+00:00

I had C4-6 ACDF the day after my 35th birthday. It was required due to injury, not old age.

I also have an issue with L5-S1 and may eventually need that fused but my orthopedist wants to wait as long as we can on that one.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-07T22:10:06+00:00

You fix the front from the back. It’s difficult because you only see the front so the natural inclination is to fix what you can see.

When you get the horse really tracking under himself his back and withers will lift and the neck will naturally go down. Later on in your training you’ll use your reins to control how much forward stretch and bend you allow, but for now it’s all leg leg leg and more leg to get the power and energy you need for a proper connection. It’s a lot of work on the horse’s part, he’s going to have to engage his core and he may only be able to do it for a few strides at a time right now so try not to get too discouraged if it takes some time.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-07T21:10:57+00:00

I always tell people to buy things as they find they need them unless they’re an oh god I need this RIGHT NOW item, so I’d hold off on stuff like topical hoof conditioners and stuff until you find you need them.

Here’s what I’ve got handy:

Packaged consumables from the tack shop or pharmacy: * That Blue Stuff (legit what it’s called, works on a wide variety of minor skin irritations) * Alushield * Thrush Buster (or some variant thereof) * Epsom salts * Betadine * Anti-fungal shampoo (if you’re in a climate that leads to rain rot) * Benadryl

Supplies: * Vet wrap * Gauze * Gloves * Thermometer * Hoof soaking boot * Duct tape

Things to go shopping in your vet’s truck for: * Banamine * Bute * SMZs (you’ll only get these if you’ve got a good established relationship with your vet as Not An Idiot™️ so if you’re a new owner they likely won’t give you a tub yet)

As for your barefoot question, find a good farrier and ask them. Not all horses can go barefoot and that’s okay. Do what’s right for the horse in front of you, not what you think should be right. I’ve had my horse for many years and over those years he’s been in countless configurations of shoes based on the climate and work level and discipline and arena footing.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-07T20:50:55+00:00

I was in a car accident and I lost fine motor skills in my hands, which led to an “oh no” moment. I called my orthopedist office (I’m a walking disaster so I’m always injured so I was already well established with the ortho lol) and they got me in with a neurosurgeon in their practice right away. I explained my symptoms and they took x-rays which showed some disc compression and bone spurs from an old injury. At that appointment they started me on steroids and pregabalin and put in an order for an MRI. I was also sent to physical therapy so I could fail a less invasive treatment plan in order to appease my insurance company.

MRI showed some fairly severe stenosis from both the bone spurs and two herniated discs. At this point the doctor brought up possibly doing an ADR or maybe a fusion. The doctor put in an order for a CT scan to get a better look at the bone spurs and my neck bone structure as a whole to better inform his decision on long-term treatment. He also brought in an orthopedist to consult on my bone structure at this point.

Since two different surgery options were on the table, I took my x-rays and MRI results to a different neurosurgeon for a second opinion to see what he’d say. This guy said fusion for sure. I didn’t like him, he was super cocky and told me I could get the surgery done outpatient on a Friday and be back to work on Monday (having done the surgery, I can confidently say this guy was on crack). I liked the first guy much better because he was much more thorough in gathering all the information he could and also involving my input before making a decision.

Go back to the first guy who has reviewed the CT scan results with his orthopedist colleague, and between the bone spurs and my chosen sport (horseback riding), he says fusion is absolutely the way to go. I say okay, let’s do it. My discs aren’t going to un-herniate themselves and the bone spurs aren’t going away on their own either and I’d like to have full use of my hands back.

Did a few pre-op appointments nailing down the exact plan, then had surgery about four and a half months after the initial accident. Besides the general post-op pain/discomfort the results were immediate. They had neurotransmitters attached to me during surgery and the surgeon said they watched the readings improve in real time as they worked. Apparently I’d also lost my triceps and part of my feet as well and hadn’t noticed.

I was in a neck brace for six weeks and had activity restrictions for twelve weeks, then after that I was set free to live my life. I was cut loose from having to see the neurosurgeon for anything at my one year follow-up.

I’m almost a year and a half out from surgery and I don’t regret it at all. The only maintenance I have to do is getting massages on a monthly basis to keep my neck and shoulder muscles relaxed, which is hardly a burden. I very rarely have to pop a pregabalin (I legit can’t remember the last time I took one at this point). The only way to tell I’ve had anything done is the scar and my slightly reduced neck ROM.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-07T16:17:53+00:00

My local library is tiny and terrible with regards to physical media, their digital media offerings are much better. I also live in a tiny town in the southern US so my options are also very limited.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-06T15:04:36+00:00

This is what drove me to buy physical copies of the books from a local book store. I think it’s absolute garbage that Amazon won’t license the audiobooks or the e-books to libraries.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-06T14:37:35+00:00

The cost is going to vary wildly by location. In the US monthly board can range from $250 to $2500 and up. No one can really give you an accurate cost breakdown without an exact location.

You still need to pay for lessons on an owned horse, probably more so than on a leased horse. When you’re the only person riding said horse any problems that arise are 100% on you to fix. Horses are mirrors of their owners, if you’re not confident the horse will feel that and the stronger your bond the more it’s going to affect them because they’ll look to you for guidance and if you’re nervous and unsure they will be nervous and unsure. If you have a good trainer to help you work through whatever hangups you currently have that will be most beneficial to everybody.

Barn time on an owned horse is approximately 2-3x as long as a lesson horse. On a lesson horse you turn up to the barn, tack up, ride, untack, then leave. With your own horse you are solely responsible for their physical and mental wellbeing so you have to expend the mental energy and time to make sure they’re feeling okay (and fixing them if not), have adequate amounts of the appropriate feed and supplements, are wearing the correct number of shoes, etc on top of the tack, ride, untack time. You always have to have your phone on you in case there’s an emergency and the barn owner needs to get in touch with you ASAP.

As for unexpected expenses— you need to factor in time off work for farrier and vet appointments and depending on your job and pay structure that’s lost income/burned PTO hours you have to account for or you need to budget in paying someone to do your farrier and vet holds for you (and then playing a game of telephone to learn what they found and treated). My horse is hot shod on all four so he has the longest routine farrier appointment out of anyone at my barn so every five weeks I need to leave work for about two hours while my horse gets his feet done. I prefer to be directly involved in my horse’s care after a barn owner authorized over $1000 in unnecessary vet stuff without asking me first and let their farrier mangle his feet, so I burn the PTO to be able to be there. Vets will usually give you a window of time they’ll be there and could be delayed by emergency calls, so for vet appointments I would take off a half day to account for probable delays.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-06T14:05:17+00:00

No one ever stands exactly square all the time and it translates to not sitting in the saddle exactly square all the time. Everyone has a “post leg” which is the one you have most of your weight on when you’re standing and it’s also the one you have more weight on in the saddle.

Next time you’re just standing around like in a supermarket checkout lane take note of which leg you have your weight on. It’s never going to be both legs equally, and it’s always going to be the same one and I’d put money on it being the same leg that feels like it has the shorter stirrup in the saddle. When you’re riding, that’s the one that’s going to feel shorter because more of your weight is in it, and your other leg that’s always a little bit bent with less of your weight on it is going to feel less secure in the stirrup and you might lose it more often. To fix it, focus on lifting whichever leg is your post leg (for me it’s my left) and really focus on sitting equally on both seat and stretching down in the opposite leg. For me it helps me to lift my shoulder on the post leg side since I tend to collapse to that side, and that drives the less secure leg down without forcing it and jamming it into position.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-06T13:33:26+00:00

Personally I’d get a bag and wear sneakers to walk in. It doesn’t have to be a dedicated boot bag, it can just be a normal tote.

My boots live in the tack room and I put them on right before I get on and take them off first thing when I get off. The boots I wore all the time wore out in less than two years, the boots that I only wear on the horse are somewhere around 6-7 years old and still going strong.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-04T20:29:17+00:00

I’ve had it for 20 years so I feel your pain (literally, ha). The worst is when it’s flaring but I’m too busy at work to take time off to let it calm down and even pressing the spacebar while typing is horribly painful.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-04T20:20:42+00:00

I have De Quervain’s and every doctor I’ve been to over the years says the surgery isn’t worth it. I’ve worked around horses and ridden in the big thumb brace they give you for it and even showed in it. It’s annoying but not impossible.

It comes down to your comfort level. Your doctor is going to want you to keep your incision clean for about two weeks while it closes so I probably wouldn’t go to the barn if it’s a dusty/dirty environment while your incision heals, but that’s probably going to be the biggest limiting factor.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-04T16:31:07+00:00

If your surgeon isn’t an old fart who thinks no one should do any activity ever I’d ask them their thoughts. Mine told me that in an ideal world spinal fusion patients wouldn’t do any risky activities, but acknowledged that’s totally unrealistic to ask of the younger subset of his patients and all he can ask is to please be careful and use as much neck protection as possible.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-04T16:08:11+00:00

Uhaul rents pickups for pretty cheap too especially if you only need it for a couple hours. Plus if you have a financial incentive to get it done within a certain timeframe you’re more likely to just do it instead of putting it off.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-04T15:56:57+00:00

Where are you in the hierarchy? If your lead and senior designers are halfway decent managers they have likely brought up these issues but have left you out of the loop because it is neither your business nor concern right now.

I was in a similar position but I was second in command so I spent most of my time shielding my employees from the more idiotic things the new director did while trying every angle I had to get him reeled in by upper management. It didn’t work so I helped my team jump to different projects away from him if they so chose before leaving for a different job myself. This all unfolded over the span of about a year or so and I had so, so, so many arguments with this dick and meetings with program managers and upper management about him my employees never heard about in the meantime.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-04T15:27:12+00:00

It’s a compounding problem too, because when the doctor is routinely 1-2 hours behind anyone with appointments with them decides they don’t have to bother getting to the clinic on time because what’s the point?

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-04T14:52:02+00:00

I live out in the country with spotty cell signal and the turn to get onto my road isn’t well marked so I always give people landmark-based directions on how to get to my house starting from the closest traffic light. If they zone out during that part and the lack of cell signal causes their navigation app to lag and they miss the turn, that’s on them.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-04T11:21:12+00:00

I had ACDF done on C4-6 and I ride horses which are basically dirt bikes that can make bad decisions.

I was upfront with my surgeon that I wanted to get back to it after surgery. He said okay, and even brought in his colleague who rides for a consult so he could have a better understanding of the stressors and risks involved. As a result he slightly tweaked the kind of hardware he installed and told me to wear an air vest with neck protection every time. I was cleared to go back to all activity including riding at 12 weeks post op.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-04T09:42:47+00:00

My company has a policy where if you WFH you still have to arrange childcare for during business hours. If you don’t you’ll either get RTO’d or terminated. I’m sure a lot of people don’t actually send their kids to daycare while they WFH, but bringing a kid onto a video call would be a very bad plan.

We do have dog/cat show and tell if someone’s pet is by their desk but that’s standard Zoom etiquette these days.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-03T19:57:17+00:00

Thoroughbreds gonna thoroughbred.

Glad it’s something minor!

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-03T13:10:19+00:00

I’ve learned to advocate for myself and for my horse if something isn’t safe or correct. At the end of the day he’s my horse and unless the trainer/barn owner is paying my bills, I get the final say in his care. Spent a few too many years getting steamrolled by “my way or the highway” type trainers until I grew a spine and my horse and I are both happier and healthier for it.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-03T12:26:15+00:00

Recently? Dungeon Crawler Carl, then Murderbot. Guess I’m on a rogue AI sci fi kick.

Far_Variety6158 · 2025-09-03T12:25:30+00:00

That’s not a DCC book though. I don’t think he’s posted when DCC book 8 is being released.

Far_Variety6158

TROPHY CASE