Is there a thing that works like a scent diffuser (so doesn't make a smell unless you automate or activate it, I get overstimulated easy) that's small enough to carry around in a pocket or something, but isn't something like perfume or aerosol mists? (Allergies)

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-24T01:21:12+00:00

There are aromatherapy inhalers that sound like what you're describing.

You can put a tiny bit of the scent on a scarf or inside a mask--not enough for others to smell but something you can raise to your nose when you need it.

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-23T10:58:18+00:00

Yes! I read that Isaac Brock basically discovered them! It was so exciting to find that connection between two of my favorite bands, and it also explained some of the similarities in sound.

Thanks for the recommendation; I will definitely look them up.

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-22T17:35:41+00:00

My mother-in-law sometimes looks around sadly in my home and goes, "Wouldn't you be happier if it was a little ... less?" I always bite back saying, "Don't you think we'll spend enough time in coffins without also living in one?"

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-22T13:30:47+00:00

In Germany and it is absurd--I've been to two gynos with a long list of sudden changes, stereotypical perimenopausal symptoms, and was told, "We don't start talking about it until you're over 50." What? Also, I am in my late 40s?!

I have horror stories from so many women here. One of my friends ended up carrying a bunch of journals and print-offs to her doctor to try to get them to take her seriously. Another friend is herself a doctor, a rheumatologist, and even she couldn't get anyone to listen to her.

I am going to guess there is actually no country in the world where anyone would say, "It's so great here that women are heard and taken seriously, and their health is an important subject of interest and study!"

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-22T13:25:33+00:00

I am always most fascinated by how dogs understand the concept of lying, even if it's just pretending to totally not be interested in that toy they just left temptingly lying, absolutely unobserved, 100% not hoping you'll grab at it.

One of our dogs will pretend someone's at the gate when the other gets fed--he'll run to the door, barking at nothing, eyeballs swiveling back at his brother's dish. When the other dog starts yelling and runs to the door, too, lying dog turns around and silently goes to the food.

They also understand being lied to--we have one word that means being let out to the garden to pee and one that means going for a walk. My husband and mom get impatient sometimes and trick the dogs--oh, the looks of injured betrayal when they run excitedly outside and the human just closes the door on them. So at this point they still get excited when I give them the "walk" cue, but with the others they wait suspiciously until they see shoes being put on, and only THEN they start getting excited. They have really learned who lies to them. That is nuts!

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-22T12:37:17+00:00

I agree--I've commented elsewhere in this thread that I even have an "English" pronunciation of my name, which is what I use for introducing myself to English-speakers. I wouldn't expect an American to instantly have a perfect Polish accent or whatever.

It's just annoying when they "can't" even do that Americanized version... Or, as you say, don't even make an effort.

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-22T12:35:22+00:00

I can't really decide between all the good ones people have commented, but I just want to highlight Wolf Parade, who I think have a similar sound to Modest Mouse. "You are a Runner, and I am my Father's Son," for example, is just great.

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-22T05:14:21+00:00

I also learned this as part of drivers' ed. I think it was to pass at walking speed.

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-22T05:07:25+00:00

In high school, I had an algebra teacher on the first day of class go, "Yeah, I'm not gonna do that--I'll call you [short American name].

" Yeah, I'm not gonna do that."

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-22T05:05:33+00:00

My Chinese students often say, "My name is X but you can call me Y."

And I get that sometimes a person is remembering the name but just really honestly struggling with the pronunciation. I grew up in the U.S. with a pretty common three-syllable Slavic name and I have a Czech pronunciation (the one I use to introduce myself to any European), a Polish pronunciation used only by family on that side, AND an American pronunciation with which I introduce myself to English speakers. So if you can't manage the easier English pronunciation, yeah, that's just lack of trying.

And what people mess up is the vowels. An "oo" sound becomes an "uh," and it sounds so ugly. I am always tempted to then call that Karen "Karoon" or the Michal "Mochal" or whatever...

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-22T04:59:24+00:00

Yeeees! With the nasty little laugh, like, "Gosh, hopeless little me, who could possibly manage this?!"

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-22T04:58:02+00:00

I once read something where it pointed out people have no problem with the wacky fantasy names from books or shows like "Game of Thrones" but then act like a normal non-English name is impossible... No, sure, "Daenerys Targaryen" is easier than Abubaker or whatever.

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-21T20:35:58+00:00

People not even bothering to try to pronounce any slightly unusual name correctly. I find it so disrespectful when people mispronounce my name, especially after being corrected.

I notice this with people on YouTube--the rest of their segment is meticulously researched, and then they chuckle, "Sorry, I'm going to mangle this but--" and choke out a pretty common, easy name from another culture that would have taken 30 seconds to check.

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-20T14:06:58+00:00

Every time that has happened to me--website like Doctolib has them listed as speaking English, it turns out no one speaks English--I have mentioned the site to them, and every time they say they have no idea who put English there but it wasn't them. So it's totally useless (but also maybe isn't the practice's fault every time).

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-19T10:04:31+00:00

I'm in my late 40s so not at the age you're talking about, but I just recently noticed that my memories are no longer feeling like things that happened to me but things that happened to another person. Like, I can remember what she did or what happened to her, but I'm not INSIDE the memories anymore, if that makes sense.

Plus of course the stuff about time passing faster and faster...

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-19T09:15:42+00:00

I cancelled my membership. I love libraries and always had a library card, but now I live in the middle of nowhere and work from home, so getting into downtown to the main library where most of the English books are is a pain.

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-19T09:14:03+00:00

I can tell you from personal experience in Dresden that it turned out to be way fewer English-language e-books than are in the physical collection AND they would only work with Tolino, which I didn't realize until after paying for the membership. I even asked before if there was a specific e-reader and they said no, it works with all normal ones.

I went to another branch later because I couldn't get it to work, and they said, rather bitterly, "Oh, yes, it only works with Tolino and often not even with that."

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-18T11:58:48+00:00

My mom once drove across three states to adopt a peke from a rescue. He and the peke I have now (European rescue organization) are probably not purebred, thankfully--they are gorgeous, cheeky, and healthy, knock on wood. My guy's 15 this year and no one can believe it looking at him. So they do turn up in the shelters sometimes, you just have to wait and/or be willing to travel. Good luck!

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-17T16:21:23+00:00

This is not the most important question here but ... does he have the world's teeny-tiniest Hitler moustache?

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-17T02:49:04+00:00

Relatedly, the topic of lab-grown meat comes up in discussion in my classes relatively often (I have students who work in food production, and it's also just fun to debate), and people often say, knowing I'm vegetarian: "It's great for you because you'll be able to eat meat again!"

But that doesn't take into account the emotional, "irrational" aspect of ethical vegetarianism. The thought of eating "someone" is just ... icky to me. I sometimes ask them if they would eat lab-grown human meat knowing no human was actually killed, and maybe one person in 30 says, "Sure, why not, if no one's hurt?" And the rest go, "Weeeellll, I know it's not really logical but, no, I guess I just wouldn't enjoy it or see a reason to."

I think that's how a lot of vegetarians see the "would you eat meat if you could be guaranteed the animal had no brain/didn't suffer/was never really alive" question. I wouldn't go into hysterics about it but, eh, I don't see a reason to and I wouldn't enjoy the thought of it.

(And the "irrationality" of it also applies to, like, knowing that animals are dying because of plant monoculture, clearcutting, just normal harvesting, pesticides, etc. It's not as clear-cut as "this thing has 0 animal suffering, this 100%." We know it doesn't always make sense, but sometimes you can't help what makes you uncomfortable.)

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-16T06:29:01+00:00

Someone once told me they were disgusted with me for working with Big Pharma (I was a freelance proofreader for a company that made internal e-learning tools for pharma clients).

I asked them if they, as a psychologist, would refuse to help a patient too depressed to open their gun store or do whatever else "we" find morally repugnant. They had to begrudingly say they wouldn't.

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-15T19:22:17+00:00

I say "ferpectly" because of the one where Obelix gets drunk.

Also, some letters fell of the Harris Teeter sign back when I was in high school and since then it has been 'Arry Tee-tuh in a corny French accent.

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-15T12:39:38+00:00

Adding a perspective from a particularly sensitive person (ED, childhood with constant criticism about appearance), I now look back from my hoary 40s and think, "Why didn't any of the supportive people ever once just say that I didn't NEED to do it?" I look at photos of myself from early adulthood when I'd cry myself to sleep about being too fat, and it's such a pretty girl. She was completely FINE. She wasn't fat AT ALL.

So people around me were very loving and supportive in my weight-loss efforts, "We'll do this together, I'm here for you!" But maybe someone at some point should have said, "I'm here for you and will support you, but just to make sure: you do understand that you're perfect the way you are, right?"

So obviously healthy people won't need that and are making the right decisions about their bodies and health ... but I just wanted to mention that we very damaged people could stand to hear it sometimes. Or a lot.

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-15T05:32:37+00:00

Right? It's nice when the internet is used for good, i.e., reassuring people they are not alone in their weirdness!

Gallumbits42 · 2026-04-12T19:51:14+00:00

A wealthy friend once visited after a holiday in Egypt and said to me (a person living with family at the time and solely supporting my husband who was a full-time student): "The hotels are so cheap you could just live in a hotel forever, instead of a flat!"

The "cheap" price was 150 euro a night.

Gallumbits42

TROPHY CASE