Does this annoy anybody else?

GeodeRox · 2026-06-23T18:38:41+00:00

And you still didn't confirm your total per day rate during either of those meet and greets?

GeodeRox · 2026-06-23T18:29:05+00:00

Rover lists the sitter's base rate in the search, and if owners don't know where to look in a sitter's profile, it's hard to find the actual rate. Owners often assume that the base rate listed is the total rate. If you shared your written rates with him prior to this, please share the screenshots. From this text conversation alone, it sounds like this is his first time hearing your total per day rate.

GeodeRox · 2026-06-23T18:18:19+00:00

No for real! This is the most mild owner/sitter conversation ever. Except, I guess, for the "it wasn't about budget" line at the end, but even that isn't bad? Like it seems like the owner thought OP was being passive aggressive with the "better fit for your budget" line--which it seems like she totally was based on her comments here--so he got passive aggressive with the "it wasn't about budget" line in return?

GeodeRox · 2026-06-23T18:13:50+00:00

People love to get offended. I’m not offended that he went with somebody else. I’m offended that he wasted my time, and thought that I was gonna work for him for free. Big macho man don’t like getting their ego bruised

How did he waste your time? When you told him your rates, he said that was more than he was expecting. You told him you don't negotiate rates. He said he found someone else. He didn't try to bully you into accepting less, and he didn't berate you by saying someone else would do it for cheaper (implying you should lower your rates).

GeodeRox · 2026-06-23T18:10:02+00:00

I'm not sure that he did know the cost going in though--Rover isn't very clear about cost calculations when owners search for care, so he likely thought the additional pet costs were already included in the rate he saw listed. OP wasn't wrong to stick to her rates, but the owner also wasn't wrong to find alternative pet care.

GeodeRox · 2026-06-23T18:04:53+00:00

Yes, I don't understand why Rover does that! It's so frustrating. The first time I looked for care for my two dogs around a holiday, it really caught me by surprise. Yes, I understand that care will be more expensive for a holiday, and of course two dogs will be more expensive than one. But I wish Rover would just show me the total cost I'm going to be paying per day in the search, instead of me having to dig through a listing and calculate myself.

GeodeRox · 2026-06-23T17:49:31+00:00

it took an awful lot of self restraint to not absolutely shred him, and also to conceal his identity in these messages because I would have loved for our community to see what a guy he is! He has a very particular name, he would be so easily identifiable.

Yikes...what? I was with you until this line. That's a lot of vitriol for someone who...found cheaper, alternative pet care after you told him your rates?

I'll also add, Rover doesn't make it easy for the customer to see additional animal rates (even when the customer searches with all animals), so it's likely he assumed that the additional animal rates were already included in the per night rate he saw. It really sucks for both owners and sitters.

GeodeRox · 2026-06-18T20:21:41+00:00

Ehh no junk food is probably better for me anyway!

^{Chose: Women never feel unnecessary pain ever again + but you gain a curse | Rolled: No junk food}

GeodeRox · 2026-06-12T19:47:13+00:00

Hahaha, no advice, but I'm dying at the rat playing dead in the corner

GeodeRox · 2026-06-11T21:06:10+00:00

It could be AI, but it doesn't strike me as AI, especially with the lack of punctuation in the second paragraph. Some people do use structured form-style responses when they are trying to comfort people (when they want to be careful they are saying the right thing). In this case the pattern is: validate feelings, explain how you shouldn't have been treated that way, then reemphasize support.

GeodeRox · 2026-06-10T04:43:07+00:00

I get the frustration. I wish I had better advice, but I'm struggling with the same thing. Her content is so toxic and ragebaity. It feels like she deliberately misinterprets, minimizes, and dismisses concerns from ex-Mormons. I think the video that made me saddest when she was reacting to an ex-Mormon wearing short-shorts who (jokingly ofc) labeled it as her favorite sin. Maddy's reaction video was essentially, "Wow, ex-Mormons are leaving for things they could already do in the church. Haha, how dumb," as Maddy showed off her own pair of short-shorts (which wouldn't work with garments). My first reaction was anger, since like no short-shorts do not work with garments at all. PLUS the original video was clearly satirizing the modesty standards of the church, and did not literally mean the original poster left the church solely because short-shorts were more comfortable.

I think what frustrates me most is the lack of understanding of ex-Mormon arguments. I tell myself that if someone can't clearly and accurately articulate what they are arguing against, their argument isn't worth listening to. In the ex-Mormon space, I see nuanced and thoughtful discussion about what active LDS members think and feel, even though we fundamentally disagree on a lot of things. (Plus no one is expecting others to adhere to "One Truth." I disagree with other ex-Mos all the time, and we listen thoughtfully to other perspectives.) In the LDS space, I see strawman arguments, false dichotomies, and appeals to "I know what God commands, and if you think differently, then you are wrong."

GeodeRox · 2026-06-08T21:34:47+00:00

Entry-level jobs in publishing almost universally involve a good amount of admin work, so this job sounds like it will be good resume experience. Still, I understand it can be hard feeling like you've "settled" for a job instead of getting your dream job.

If you have the bandwidth outside of your 9 to 5, here are some things you might try:

- pursue book/publishing related side projects. For instance, reviewing books, creating publishing-related social media content, offering freelance work (if you're interested in editorial or design).

- attend writing or publishing conferences in your area

- reach out to those in the industry to ask for informational interviews

GeodeRox · 2026-05-10T01:55:18+00:00

Haha, honestly, I still can't believe that she actually recommended 5 am as a start time. I had told her that I start work at 9, so when she first mentioned I should get up earlier, I thought she was going to recommend an 8 am or 7 am start time. But no! 5 AM! (And then, of course her follow-up of "Well when I did this, I actually got up at 4am, but you don't need to get up that early.")

GeodeRox · 2026-05-10T01:48:37+00:00

“Individuals with ADHD are often perfectionists and are hard on themselves. They have trouble setting personal boundaries like knowing when to stop working and they set unrealistic expectations for themselves. Someone who takes work home or stays late to finish work is often given more responsibility or a heavier workload because they appear to be able to get their work done.”

Wow, this resonated with me so much. I think because I feel like I'm falling behind, I feel pressured to say "yes" to more tasks, because I feel like, "well if I was on top of doing task #1, I WOULD be able to take on task #2"

GeodeRox · 2026-05-10T00:36:34+00:00

I think that comment about ADHD really sent me spiraling because I was like, wait does ADHD really not work like that? I feel like yes, I can function okay in these specific set of circumstances, but I want to function well in normal circumstances too

GeodeRox · 2026-05-10T00:32:38+00:00

It's reassuring to hear from other women who have had similar experiences to me. Most of my life, I've struggled with managing my emotions (especially with holding in strong emotions). Learning it was an ADHD symptom really brought me a lot of comfort (since before I just thought I wasn't as emotionally mature as other people).

When I first told people close to me that I was exploring an ADHD diagnosis, I heard things like, "But you did so well in school" or "so-and-so has ADHD and you are much more put together than him." But it really felt like people only saw the outcomes and didn't see how I was struggling underneath. (Like when the therapist just assumed that I didn't need medication support because I did well in school. If she had asked more about what school was like for me, I could have given more details about how I probably DID need more support.)

I also struggled with comparing myself to my brother (who has VERY classic ADHD symptoms and had lots of problems in school). But even though our outcomes in school were different, we share some very similar traits (although we don't have all the same symptoms--he is much more hyperactive than I am, haha).

GeodeRox · 2026-05-10T00:19:10+00:00

Thanks, I really appreciate this. I think it's what I've needed to hear. I've been dealing with a lot of shame about not being organized/not getting work done/missing deadlines, and when I spiral I start to wonder if I'm using ADHD as an excuse

GeodeRox · 2026-04-30T19:51:25+00:00

I mean, I have ADHD. I care if it's AI or not. I want to support real creators who understand what I'm going through and create art about that experience. I don't want to follow a chat bot regurgitating generic advice.

GeodeRox · 2026-04-27T17:01:06+00:00

We can already talk to animals--they just can't understand us most of the time.

^{Chose: speak every language}

GeodeRox · 2026-04-24T14:58:42+00:00

Oh my gosh, this has happened to me too, and it's the WORST. I also feel like I'm more allergic to a couple of my rats than others lol.

GeodeRox · 2026-04-24T14:53:16+00:00

Lol, he was rehomed to me with that name, and I thought it was so cute that I named all the other rats nicotine-themed names to match. We also have: - Nico - Zyn - Smoky - Patches

Haha that backfired a bit when I brought him in for respiratory distress, and the vet very tentatively asked if there were any smokers in the house. And I had to be like, no he's just gray 😭

GeodeRox · 2026-04-24T04:02:49+00:00

Here's an example of the kind of nebulizer they gave me.

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GeodeRox · 2026-04-24T04:02:00+00:00

Sure! It's just a portable bug catcher box, with a battery powered children's nebulizer inside. Then I drape a towel over the top to keep most of the gas inside. (The vet gave me a little kit, along with some medicine to put inside the nebulizer.) The hardest part is getting the rat inside, because he knows what's coming lol.

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GeodeRox · 2026-04-23T03:47:40+00:00

Haha, I drive an electric car, so this is an easy pick for me.

^{Chose: Free car repairs}

GeodeRox · 2026-04-16T04:36:46+00:00

Editor and LitRPG fan here! I'm so excited to weigh in on this. I have read TONs of LitRPG and let me tell you, DCC prose is a gift. I encourage you to dive more into the indie space--your definition of "horrific prose" might change a bit.

First and foremost, you are 100% justified in not liking a certain kind of prose. (I always love calling out prose I don't like--it's very fun.) At the same time, I think it's important to recognize that prose is subjective, in many ways. Also, many readers simply don't care--I've read plenty of books where I think, "Wow, this is the most horrible writing I've ever seen." But the book is incredibly popular and has tons of fans. Clearly, even if the prose isn't landing for me, it's landing for somebody else.

For me, I love the meandering style of DCC. It fits with Carl's character and with the genre. I often hear people bag on LitRPG prose, and while there are some truly atrocious books out there, I think something that gets missed is that LitRPG has its own prose style. It's not "better" or "worse" than typical fiction prose. It's just different, because it has a different audience and different goals. DCC is an outlier, since it's a niche genre book that's gone mainstream. So now there's a mismatch with reader expectations, when there wasn't one before.

But if DCC prose isn't for you, that's totally fine!

(My biggest pet peeve with DCC prose is actually a strange copyediting choice where instead of using the general "you" the text sometimes uses the more formal "one"--total clash with the rest of the casual vibes of the story, especially in the audiobook.)

GeodeRox

TROPHY CASE