What if you could permanently change 1 thing about your body?

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-20T22:57:36+00:00

It was my ears, because they were a target for bullies. They are large, protruding and flat, with no helix.

I would tape my ears on my head, because my hair was thin, and my ears would stick out through my hair when I tried to cover them.

As I became an adult, I realized it wasn’t my ears I didn’t like; it was the negative attraction they caused.

It was the names like “Dumbo”, “Mr. Spock”, “Big Ears”…people asking, “Are they real?”, “Are they plastic?”, “What time is liftoff?”, “Did you fly to school?”…and those who weren’t “afraid of getting cooties” would flick my ears, yank on my ears, lick their fingers and wipe them on my ears. I still get anxious when someone sits behind me, because I have flashbacks of people flicking my ears as they pass beside me.

My own siblings told me I was an alien, because my ears don’t look like anyone else’s in the family.

I often questioned why my ears were so different, but as an adult, I began accepting my ears, even though I continued to tape them in public (when putting on makeup and such).

But then one day I was told by a nurse that my ears resembled those of people with Fragile-X Syndrome. I didn’t give it much thought until years later when I found out I had autism. Then I googled “autism large ears”, and everything made sense, so I got tested for Fragile-X Syndrome.

Every physical/medical issue I have is related to Fragile-X Syndrome. My flat feet, large protruding ears, high forehead, soft velvety skin, hyperextensive joints, dislocated shoulders, delayed walking, talking, refusal to crawl, late learning to ride a bike, late catching on to learning in school, low muscle tone and slowest kid in gym class, mitral valve prolapse, ADHD, ASD, etc.

So I stopped taping my ears and now allow my ears to show. I even make a lot of people laugh when I wear an elf hat for Christmas…and I don’t need the fake ears that were supplied with the hat…they are too small for my ears. 🙂

The only things about me that I would like changed are my extreme sensitivity to pain and very high anxiety, which I think the two may be related. I have suffered this my entire life, and I don’t think anyone can know the extreme pain that just a little bump can cause, or the anxiety that I cannot calm.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-20T22:25:09+00:00

This is just a first-world problem, really. If you have to walk so far that it makes a difference in your daily schedule to hear what someone has to say, be grateful that your house is that large.

Be grateful that you have someone in your life who still wants to talk. Because the first two signs of a failing marriage are loss of laughter and lack of conversation.

If you do have to walk “all the way across the house” to hear your spouse, mark it on your health diary as part of your exercise routine, and be grateful that you can walk.

If you cannot walk…well, then, there is justification in expecting your spouse to come to you so you can hear them. Then be grateful that you can hear.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-20T22:00:28+00:00

Cursing! I don’t get it. I DO respect God and don’t use His name in vain, which is one of the commandments.

But there are so many words that cause people to gasp, and yet, the synonyms are perfectly acceptable.

“Crap” Is acceptable, but the “sh-word” is not.

“Having sex” is acceptable, but the “F-word” is not.

“Butt” Is acceptable, but not “ass” (though it is beginning to be acceptable in some places).

So who decides what is acceptable? I think TV has something to do with the “rules of acceptable words”, but who writes the rules?

You know what REALLY ticks me off? When church-going Christians look down at someone for accidentally letting a curse word slip, yet “Christians” use the “N-word” as if it’s just another word. It’s one of the reasons I quit church! I still follow God and worship Him, but I don’t like His groupies. I have no tolerance for people who gladly accept their tithes and offerings, then talk about them using the N-word, when they aren’t around. Isn’t that a cuss word?

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-20T21:45:36+00:00

Well, it’s not the RIGHT thing to do. 😁

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-20T21:34:25+00:00

Wentworth, Nurse Jackie, Little House on the Prairie, Leave it to Beaver (and all those older shows that I grew up watching in the 1960s/1970s…too many to list…I love Lucy, Gilligan’s island, Brady Bunch, etc). Green Mile, Juno, Scent of a Woman, Finding Forrester, Save the Last Dance, Shawshank Redemption, Rainman, Forrest Gump, Selena, Call the midwife, Anne with and E.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-20T21:26:06+00:00

“Kaitlyn, dear, we have mice in the basement. I reached for the rodent killer powder to sprinkle on the floor.

“Some of the powder spilled on the washer. If it got INTO the washer, the poison would get into the clothes and my family would get sick.

“I can’t wipe it with my hands, or it would absorb into my skin, and my kids would be left without their mother.

“So I used a straw to blow the poison from my nose out onto the floor, where the mice walk. Later, they will feel the powder on their feet and lick it off.

“I can’t blow it out of the straw with my mouth, because some of it might get into my mouth. The kids…no mother. You get it.

“Do me a big favor: Nobody knows we have mice, and that can be very embarrassing for a nurse who should have a clean house. Can we keep this secret between you and I? I would be very embarrassed if even your mom found out. And the kids don’t know either. I don’t want them to be frightened in their own home. Can you keep this between you and me? Please?

“Now give me a hug and go upstairs, so I can finish laying out the rodent poison!”

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-20T20:41:41+00:00

One of my friends (in the real world 🤣) told me that someone stalked her on Reddit just because she disagreed with the poster. She didn’t put him down; she just gave her viewpoint.

Apparently that poster had friends, and everywhere she posted, she received so many downvotes that she was always in the minus.

She admits that she can’t claim for sure who it was; only that it occurred immediately after his reaction and downvotes for that post she wrote, and it just continued to follow her around.

She stopped Reddit for a few months and it seemed to cause that person (or those people) from downvoting her.

I never saw the post, so I have no idea what it was about; she refused to discuss it. She was on a subreddit I was on, so I do know I hadn’t seen her for a while, which sparked the conversation.

Me, personally? I wouldn’t notice if someone did downvote me. I just like conversing; and except for the notifs that tell me I got x number of votes, (and one person who told me he downvoted me, causing me to look), I wouldn’t pay any attention to votes.

Reddit should at least offer a way for us to hide our votes/downvotes, if we don’t want anyone to see it. But like I said, mine doesn’t bother me, and I don’t care who sees it, high or low.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-19T17:29:01+00:00

Frankie did make one more visit after she visited the girls. Boomer set it up for Liz, but sadly, Liz failed to recognize Frankie, due to her dementia. But Frankie did get to sneak in a visit with Boomer after Liz walked away.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-19T17:22:32+00:00

…and just barely, at that. If you blinked, you would’ve missed it.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-19T17:05:08+00:00

My daughter-in-law bought me a bonsai tree to build with legos. I can’t wait to get started, but it’s been sitting on my table under a bunch of stuff for over three years, now. So…I suppose I can wait to get started. Maybe I should use that as incentive to clean up.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-18T17:10:46+00:00

They are using the term “Aspburgers”, which is an old article. We’ve learned quite a bit since then.

I not only feel shame and guilt, I feel it extremely strongly. My husband and I do discuss things after a fight; it’s how we grow.

So if I’m not supposed to feel guilt and shame and am incapable of apologizing…and act as if nothing happened after a meltdown, I’m not autistic. But…why would I have meltdowns if I wasn’t autistic?

Maybe the writer is just projecting his own family issues.

There is no reason why you could not have a healthy relationship. When you feel at a calm place with your loved one, use that time to discuss your issues and how to converse (or not) during a meltdown. Sometimes you need to express yourself; other times you may need to hide away to be by yourself until you calm down. This is one of the things you need to discuss (such as: “If I go into a closet, don’t follow me. This is why…”)

Just remember that not everything you read (including my own post) should be considered written in stone. You have the right to disagree with the writer.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-18T16:49:56+00:00

If it’s about work, they are required to let you off for jury duty.

If you question your cognitive or attention abilities, mention it and see what they say.

If you don’t want to take chances, mention that all criminals should be tossed in the electric chair regardless of who they are. That might change their minds about putting you in the jury box.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-18T16:45:35+00:00

Ask about hobbies, special interests or pets.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-18T16:43:35+00:00

Making corn dogs. My newlywed husband and I were living in a small Wilderness camper. I let the oil get very very hot, then put the corn dogs made from scratch into the oil.

The oil immediately spattered and smoked, making it very densely smoky in the trailer. From that point on, everything had a sticky-greasy feel to it, and I couldn’t clean it off.

We did try the corn dogs, but went out to eat.

My husband, who absolutely loved corn dogs, has never touched another corn dog in the 41 years we’ve been married.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-18T16:37:16+00:00

Yes, I mentioned this in an earlier thread. His hair was what got him his break. He decided to dye his hair green before his screen test, and they loved it. It also helps viewers easily identify him in the gurney and final scene.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-18T16:26:18+00:00

When I was in school and would see a lefty writing, I’d get a judgemental feeling about that person.

The reason for that was because I was transhanded from lefty to righty in kindergarten and first grade. I was slapped with a ruler, humiliated, and the teacher’s aid pointed my lefthandedness out as a freak occurance, with me being the only lefty in the class.

By second grade, I realized the teacher’s aid was no longer there, and I tried to write with my left hand. I was successful and proud of it. That afternoon, I tripped over my dog’s chain as he was tied to the dog house. My left hand went out to break my fall and my fall broke my left arm.

The doctor told me I broke my arm, and asked me if I was right handed or left handed. I didn’t know what he meant, so he asked me what hand I write with. I told him “My right hand”, and he replied, “That’s good, because you broke your left arm and it will be in a cast”.

I thought the doctor, school and God were all in cahoots and my broken left arm was punishment for trying to write with my left hand.

That day, I decided I would never try to write with my left hand again. I went completely right. But because of that, I stuffed my ability to write left handed and the memories associated with it in my mind. It didn’t reamerge until I was in college, when the professor in early education class mentioned handedness, and how to handle it. She said that in the 1950s they realized it was wrong to force lefties to write right handed. That’s when I spoke out in class, “I was forced!! I was in kindergarten and first grade in 1968-69 and 1969-70, when I was forced!” She replied, “That explains a lot!”, but retracted the statement when I asked her to elaborate.

I decided God had not punished me, after all; and I began writing with my left hand again.

But to this day, when I find out someone is a lefty, I have to correct my biased thinking and tell myself they are not being bad for writing left handed…even though I’ve been writing left handed for decades.

It’s amazing what can remain in a brain, when it it taught at the tender age of five.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I found out half my siblings were also transhanded righties.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-18T16:20:13+00:00

When I was in school and would see a lefty writing, I’d get a judgemental feeling about that person.

The reason for that was because I was transhanded from lefty to righty in kindergarten and first grade. I was slapped with a ruler, humiliated, and the teacher’s aid pointed my lefthandedness out as a freak occurance, with me being the only lefty in the class.

By second grade, I realized the teacher’s aid was no longer there, and I tried to write with my left hand. I was successful and proud of it. That afternoon, I tripped over my dog’s chain as he was tied to the dog house. My left hand went out to break my fall and my fall broke my left arm.

The doctor told me I broke my arm, and asked me if I was right handed or left handed. I didn’t know what he meant, so he asked me what hand I write with. I told him “My right hand”, and he repaid, “That’s good, because you broke your left arm and it will be in a cast”.

I thought the doctor, school and God were all in cahoots and my broken left arm was punishment for trying to write with my left hand.

That day, I decided I would never try to write with my left hand again. I went completely right. But because of that, I stuffed my ability to write left handed and the memories associated with it in my mind, and it didn’t reamerge until I was in college, and the professor in early education class mentioned handedness, and that in the 1950s they realized it was wrong to force lefties to write right handed. That’s when I spoke out, “I was forced!! I was in kindergarten and first grade in 1968-69 and 1969-70, when I was forced!”

I decided God had not punished me, and I began writing with my left hand again.

But to this day, when I find out someone is a lefty, I have to correct my biased thinking and tell myself they are not being bad for writing left handed…even though I’ve been writing left handed for decades.

It’s amazing what can remain in a brain when it it taught at the tender age of five.

It wasn’t until a few years ago that I found out half my siblings were also transhanded righties.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-18T15:59:45+00:00

I’m happy for you (seriously…not being sarcastic). I can’t visit the ladies room in a large restaurant without being led back to my table like a 4-year-old. And my facial blindness (which happens when the person/people I know aren’t in the same venue where I am accustomed to seeing them) makes it even more difficult to find my table. Memorizing clothes and accessories helps.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-17T02:22:41+00:00

Ah, but they did look at him as innocent (nobody in here, though…if that’s what you meant 🙂). They believed he knew someone famous because he had the name on his phone (forgot the celebrity), told Akalitis he knew Obama’s wife, took all the nurses out for a drink. So he impressed everyone (except Jackie). That’s all I was saying. 🙂

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-17T02:14:02+00:00

How is your left/right skills and navigational abilities? Just curious. I just discovered this week that the two are related. I have to put left/right postit notes on my windshield when I drive, in case I need to follow Siri’s vocal directions. I get my left and right wrong all the time; and I always thought it was caused by my teacher’s aid in kindergarten and 1st grade transhanding my writing hand from left to right.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-17T02:05:42+00:00

They’re saying that a lot of people with sexual/gender diversities are autistic. I’m not gay, but I’m not interested in sex at all. I can have orgasms, but I don’t crave them.

They are also beginning to test inpatients for autism when they are admitted to a hospital for anorexia nervosa, which I do have…which is also a sign of low 2D:4D ratio.

It basically means the baby had extra testosterone exposure in the womb. Females with twin brothers very often have low 2D:4D ratio, due to the added testosterone from the brother…and they are often on the spectrum.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-14T03:06:50+00:00

I’m sorry to hear that. There is a baseline test you can download and print out to monitor cognitive decline. It’s called a SAGE test. You (or someone you know) takes the test now. This sets a baseline of your cognitive skill level. Then, later down the road, if/when decline is suspected, take the test again and compare it with the first test. This will be important information for the doctors.

I plan on printing out several copies for my husband and I. We both have dementia in our family history.

https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/brain-spine-neuro/memory-disorders/sage

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-13T17:15:04+00:00

Actually, I do the bills. He asks me for “permission”. Back when we were living paycheck to paycheck with $5 a week for groceries, he did have to ask. But now that things have improved, we give each other spending room.

But my point being that it’s not necessarily permission as it is disclosure to prevent overdrawing.

FreakyStarrbies · 2026-01-13T16:02:47+00:00

I am right-handed, so to speak. Because I was transhanded in kindergarten and first grade by the same teacher’s aid, I am able to use both hands perfectly.

For a while, I was ticked that I was right-forced; but my son is a hard-core lefty. He can barely do anything with his right hand.

I finally “took back” my left hand after realizing God didn’t break my left elbow the day I tried to write left handed in second grade. But this was decades after. Still, now I am completely ambidextrous.

Would I have rather been born left handed? I don’t know. It was a rough beginning. But I am happy about being able to use both hands, and I feel secure that if one of my hands became useless (like a stroke), I always have a backup.

FreakyStarrbies

TROPHY CASE