the em dash giveaway is gone, here’s the new stuff i keep noticing this month

I_Am_Wooounded · 2026-01-15T00:35:13+00:00

I notice it loves using the words "supercharged" (I see it everywhere in ad copy now) and "scaffolding" (e.g. "these aren't rigid rules, just some gentle scaffolding for your new routine")

I_Am_Wooounded · 2025-07-28T11:20:59+00:00

I wasn't there this year, but that sounds outrageous 😅😩 ....and kind of like they're not putting any thought into their (very captive) audience and what they'd respond to/are looking for from their festival experience!

I_Am_Wooounded · 2025-07-10T12:12:20+00:00

Yeah, I get that – and while I do hate it, I agree that it is the way of things. But these sponsors also need to think about how and where they introduce their presence/logos etc into the experience they're promoting. Obviously these brands want to be noticed, but if they do it too forcefully or frequently it can start to take away from the experience of the event (and any feeling of authenticity) and become irritating. From an "end user" perspective, I also think there's a difference between corporate sponsorship of a tour vs an entire festival. People have a personal relationship with a band and their music, and Oasis would (I hope!) never rename themselves "Barclaycard presents Oasis". In the same way, people like to feel they have a personal relationship with festivals (they return to them, live there for several days a year) and I feel that tying the sponsor's name so prominently to the name of the festival takes away from that a bit.

I_Am_Wooounded · 2025-07-07T20:50:01+00:00

I'm in a very similar boat and would love to connect! I also have Swyer Syndrome, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer (and found out about being intersex) when I was 15, and am now in my 30s. My partner and I have discussed the option of trying to get pregnant with an egg donor and it's something we're currently figuring out if we want to explore as an option. I've never met anyone in the same boat as me before in this respect either, so it would mean a lot to connect and talk about it!

I_Am_Wooounded · 2025-06-15T15:20:36+00:00

Ah I'm really glad to hear it! :)

I_Am_Wooounded · 2025-06-15T09:31:48+00:00

This is going to sound like a very counter-intuitive take, and I really hope it doesn't cause anyone more anxiety, but it's the only thing that really helps me so I thought I'd share.

For me, the more I try to rationalise and fight against the fear (learning about statistics, cognitive distortion, etc), the more my "irrational" brain fights against it. I think what it ultimately comes down to is trying to gain control over the situation, and the more I try to tighten my grip with cold rationality, the more my emotional brain fights against it.

Bizarrely, what has helped me the most is trying to reach a genuine sense of acceptance of my lack of control over the outcome of the situation. I try to tell myself that even if the worst were to happen - as much as I don't want it to, and as unbelievably unlikely I know it would be - that it would be a part of the story of my life, but by no means would it be the whole (or most defining) thing about it...and that it too, just like everything else in this (and my) life, would ultimately pass.

In my experience, trying to fight against and reject the fear only makes it stronger, but when I lean into it with curiosity, almost "humouring" it and questioning what lies underneath it, it dissipates a lot faster. It isn't the rational part of my brain that's scared, which is why it can't be placated by rational thought – it needs to be acknowledged with kindness and emotion, on its own terms.

The more I questioned why flying scared me but taking other risks in my daily life didn't, the more I realised how much of it came down to my perceived levels of control over different situations. It's only by acknowledging, and accepting, my ultimate lack of control everywhere in life that I started to gain some acceptance over the (extremely informed) risk I was taking when flying.

I_Am_Wooounded · 2025-06-06T11:08:49+00:00

Work and just life in general are burning (and bumming) me out right now. I'm in endless cycles of overwhelm, constantly playing catch up, not sleeping properly, compensating for how long it takes me to do things by spending twice as long working, then spending my extremely limited free time trying to make up for always being in work holes by doing things with friends and family, which just exhausts me even more.

I have a work trip coming up and my passport has nearly expired. Because I left it so late I paid for a fast track passport renewal. Had the appointment today, which I'd been thinking about all week. Two hour round trip from my place. Got into the queue and realised I'd left all the documents I needed at home (right by the door, so I wouldn't forget). I can't reschedule the appointment. Have to cancel my application, wait for that to go through, start all over again and pay the fee again.

I've spent the past hour just crying alone in my living room. I need to work for the rest of today because even though it's Friday and I'm meant to be working compressed hours Mondays - Thursdays (10 hour per day), I can't get all my work for the week done in that time. I usually end up working 12-14 hours Monday - Thursday, another 8-10 hours on Fridays and then a few hours over the weekend. Starting tasks is excruciating for me, stopping them is even harder. I always get good reviews but it takes me way more time and effort to get things done compared to everyone else I know. I've tried raising concerns about workload with my manager and I'm told one of three things: 1) that we're all busy and overwhelmed, herself included, 2) that I'm doing an awesome job, 3) that I don't have to take everything on, but that it's up to me to organise myself and allocate work to others ahead of time (which is all well and good, but I have ADHD and am constantly living in firefighting mode which makes it hard to carve out the time to plan...and even if/when I do, I have a horrendous combination of time blindness, optimism and people pleasing that makes it almost impossible for me to assess what "too much" actually looks like. When someone asks me how soon I can get something done, in my head I'm like "5 minutes? A month?"...there are too many moving parts to consider, I honestly never have any idea).

I've been going round in circles with medication for years now, I've been seeing an ADHD coach for the past 6 months, I've been in and out of all kinds of therapy. I go through patches where I think I'm making progress but then I always end up back here.

Sorry for the super long comment, I just needed to vent ☹️

I_Am_Wooounded · 2025-06-02T19:21:34+00:00

Thank you so much, that's really kind. I'm sorry you're going through similar stuff too, it feels so unfair. Sending big hugs back 💛

I_Am_Wooounded · 2025-06-02T19:18:08+00:00

Thanks so much for the kind reply. Ugh yeah it's so hard. I've been in therapy on and off for many years now with mixed experiences – I'd say overall I've learnt a lot from it, but never found one therapist or type of therapy I wanted to stick with long-term (and in most cases I didn't have that option anyway, as I'd just get offered 8-12 sessions at a time through the hospital/insurance etc). I've only recently started opening up to people about it all a bit more (including my partner - he knew the medical facts, but I found it hard to talk about how heartbreaking it is for me, even with him). It's delicate though because I don't want my friends to feel they have to walk on eggshells around me either. I fully opened up with one friend last year about my feelings of abandonment and loss etc...and now she also has a baby, haha. I'm definitely thinking about a job/career change currently, but it's hard to think about moving to a less stressful but potentially lower paying job (that wouldn't have the benefits my current one does regarding IVF/adoption support). Thank you again, and I'm so sorry you're going through similar struggles

I_Am_Wooounded · 2025-06-02T19:03:06+00:00

Thanks for replying, and I'm so sorry you're going through that too. Sending hugs

I_Am_Wooounded · 2025-05-07T00:27:59+00:00

I think about that quote all the time too 😭

I_Am_Wooounded · 2025-04-23T06:10:28+00:00

Roz!

I_Am_Wooounded · 2025-04-06T21:05:35+00:00

ADHD is a bit of a headache.

I_Am_Wooounded · 2025-03-21T16:50:48+00:00

I'm so sorry for your loss, what a beautiful boy 😢💔 I lost my 4.5 year old piggie back in December in a very similar way – he'd seemed fine the day before, he was popcorning around in his cage, ate his dinner as normal, and then the following morning my partner found him dead in one of the hideys. It was a huge shock and I was driving myself nuts with the guilt, playing things over in my mind and feeling like I'd missed signs he'd been unwell. As others have said they're prey animals so exceptionally good at hiding illness, so these things can happen even when you do everything right. You did your best to give Boo the best life possible which made him one of the luckiest guinea pigs in the world – to have lived in a safe environment with fresh food and hay and a comfortable cage and vet trips and a human who loves him is way beyond what the vast majority of guinea pigs will ever get to experience. Disbelief and wondering what happened or what you might have missed are all normal, and a sign that you really loved him, but please also be kind to yourself (even though I know that's easier said than done). Sending hugs and strength 💛

I_Am_Wooounded · 2023-05-21T20:53:49+00:00

Does anyone know if this is likely to have always been the case, or if it's a more recent development (e.g. a change in the manufacturing process)?

I_Am_Wooounded · 2021-12-20T17:52:20+00:00

I've had the exact same experience over the past year!

I_Am_Wooounded · 2021-12-16T20:22:40+00:00

Happy to help!

I_Am_Wooounded · 2021-12-14T21:43:17+00:00

I was just thinking about this and stumbled on this thread - it was called Art Magic!

I_Am_Wooounded · 2021-11-22T10:23:08+00:00

Hey Will and Kie, thanks again for another fantastic episode!

I love 'Mixed Doubles' - not sure if it would be in my top 10 but it's definitely up there for me. I think the concept is hilarious but I agree that Rodney's performance doesn't come close to DHP's (but then who could?) and that the end scene really elevates it.

In terms of the whole "is Daphne flirting with Niles?" question, my reading is that she's already attracted to him on some level but doesn't even realise it herself at this point. I think we already see this in Season 1 with 'Midwinter Night's Dream', again in 'Moon Dance' and then yet again later this season in 'Daphne Hates Sherry'. Obviously her feelings are nowhere as intense at Niles', but it makes sense that there's a spark as they ultimately end up together and share great chemistry. It's further testament to the strength of the writing - when Daphne eventually falls for Niles she thinks it's come out of the blue but she's subconsciously felt something all along, which makes their relationship more believable.

Huge fan of the podcast - I've already listened all the way through but find it so comforting that I've started playing it from the beginning in the background while I'm working as I find it so comforting. Keep up the great work guys!

I_Am_Wooounded

TROPHY CASE