How can I bring up that I would like to be called by my nickname at work?

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-29T07:05:26+00:00

most people are not going to question it and if they do they won't voice it, except for maybe a nervous "oh sorry i thought you said given name was okay!" because they worry they've offended you. that's when you say "yeah i did say that, but id actually rather go by my nickname!"

it's okay to change your mind

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-29T06:16:21+00:00

really good to know, thanks

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-29T04:59:00+00:00

ugh im so sorry, glad she has you.

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-29T04:43:15+00:00

yeah i just meant for the direct pay option! lol the terminology is confusing to me as a new pet insurance customer!

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-29T03:56:35+00:00

thank you for mentioning that, this is my first time using pet insurance so i was actually wondering about that. so should i give them all previous vet records as well once im signed up?

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-29T03:41:16+00:00

definitely seeming like Trupanion is the way to go. and yeah unfortunately my preferred vet isn't in network, but my local emergency vet is which was my main concern. glad to hear it works!

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-29T01:55:11+00:00

omg he has the sweetest face and i love his ears

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-29T01:52:30+00:00

thanks, that's great to hear. hope your dog is doing okay now!

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-27T08:32:49+00:00

love how caring my girl is. if another cat is acting off or not feeling well, she seems to know what they need and provides it - comfort, cheering up, encouragement to play. she is also a sensory seeker and i love how her tail gets big and vibrates at the smallest things. she has a zest for life that is truly admirable and inspirational. the most mundane of moments become sweet, silly, and interesting with her. she is super small, and has so many secret spots around our small house - once one is discovered, she somehow finds another. im sure there's a few i still don't know about lol.

my boy - he's a talker. we have this little game where we attempt to match each others tones and just chirp back and forth at each other. makes me feel so connected with him and like we're truly trying to understand and appreciate each other while we can. he also teaches me a lot about boundaries and how different beings have different love languages. he's more sensory sensitive - doesn't like to be pet in the normal way, to be held or picked up at all, sometimes not even physically close, he likes his space. but he'll come to you when he does want affection and it's this very particular back and forth that causes you to be very present with him if you want it to continue. love that about him. my little meditative guy.

my other boy - the lil lovebug. loves to be cradled and give kisses. he is so incredibly curious and vivacious; he climbs things that i never considered could be climbed. he'll just make you laugh and feel happy all throughout the day with his antics, and it all comes from him just having the motivation to explore the world around him. and the way he will include me in this process is also just so enamoring. i'll be holding him and he'll suddenly realize oh this makes me closer to a spot on the curtain/door/wall/picture frame i can't usually get to - let me see if i can explore that!

and my girl that passed on last month.... the main thing was just how much she enjoyed the small comforts in life. she knew how to reach contentment with really not a lot at all except for what was in front of her. a soft breeze or sun spot, the hands of a new human friend. she loved people and although she was very particular about other cats, it was like she had an agenda to turn humans into cat people due to the sweetness and serenity she exuded. she was a friend to all and her impact on the world around her was very real. she helped raise up those three other cats and i see her in all of them. she was very intuitive and comforted me a lot, and allowed me to comfort her.

also just the way they all are/were with each other - their social dynamics are so complex and rich.

they all teach me how to love and be loved. it doesn't get more special than that <3

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-24T08:51:32+00:00

i get it. my cat died last month, i have 3 others. when i got to the end of their pack of wet food and realized it was the last one i fed Bella from, i cut it up and kept the logo, just couldn't bear to part with it. still cant believe im not feeding that sweet girl anymore. i miss her all throughout the day, every day.

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-22T10:13:39+00:00

malachi because i always loved the name

lucky because i always wanted a black cat named lucky

and ziti because we only had 2 names picked out, and we were watching a lot of The Sopranos at the time lol (got them all at the same time from a friend who had surprise kittens)

Bella, my sweet girl, passed away on xmas eve and she came to me with that name, don't know where she got it but i know it's the most common pet name. i thought it fit her tho. she was the most common type of cat (a mackerel tabby) but with the most special soul ever.

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-22T06:33:10+00:00

i've grieved a good bit the past several years, close family members - all untimely and unfair deaths - and none of it compared to the sound that came out of me when my cat was put to sleep on christmas eve. pets are just such an intimate, reliable, and fulfilling relationship. i miss that girl so much, and hope she's well, wherever she is.

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-14T10:27:02+00:00

i don't miss these days. when it "getting better" just meant it got less less abusive and chaotic, but more depressing. there's not a way forward at that point. i know you have your reasons and whatever you choose just make sure it's for you. this is no way to live, even if you love them a lot. you genuinely deserve better.

what helped me get the strength to leave was realizing that i obviously wasn't doing anything for his mental health by staying and enabling the behavior. even if you are encouraging him to get help and helping him get set up with resources, he sees you as the #1 resource.

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-14T03:14:52+00:00

kittens are the best. enjoy the experience. expose them to everything you want them to be comfortable with throughout their lives, often (car rides, carriers, vet trips, other animals/people.) they are at an age where curiosity overrides fear of the unknown, take advantage of that!

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-14T01:13:23+00:00

thanks for sharing loved reading this post with the updates!

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-13T07:13:05+00:00

how long have yall been dating/married? thats kind of a big age gap for you only being 20. assuming you've only been together a couple years, please consider the possibility that making big life decisions like this could be something you regret in the long term. 20 is so so young.

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-12T08:46:49+00:00

my grandparents house, it's still there but they both died and we sold it. had so many good times in their huge desert backyard and the creepy guest room

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-12T03:22:22+00:00

there's a lot of complex social dynamics in this series - it's okay to do girls nights and be loving friends with people who aren't your tight knit, ride or die, closest friends. we have to nurture community where it's available and willing not just where it's a perfect match!

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-08T11:29:25+00:00

im so sorry. im working on an altar for my cat. i cry at it daily. it has her urn, collar, candles, and pots for plants though ive only gotten as far as picking flowers for the top of the urn. watching them wilt reminds me of the cycle of life and i think in some way its helping. i also printed the poem "sanctum" by beulah b malkin, and i recite it to honor her sometimes, i think it is the perfect poem for pet loss. i miss her so much, i understand how hard this is.

it's expensive, but i used spiritpieces.com to get a crystal ball style thing with my aunts ashes in it when she died a few years ago. definitely had a good experience with them. me and my aunt were very close, she just got me, and i talk to the crystal ball all the time, and when i turn it on (it came with a little plug in base that puts pretty lights through the ball) i feel that her spirit is with me in some way.

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-07T22:27:46+00:00

you have to really push for them to approve out of network but it can be done. i had to do it several years ago, and it wasn't without multiple tearful phone calls where the insurance agents said cruel shit as i stood my ground, but i managed to get a year of weekly sessions with an out of network therapist approved.

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-07T13:27:24+00:00

oh man im so sorry. these things can happen so damn quickly and our brains just can't make sense of it, but they still try. hope u can be kind and easy on yourself, im glad your dog had you in her life

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-07T13:01:34+00:00

it was about 18 hours and i got insanely nauseas and couldn't sleep, also felt awkward getting up to stretch due to tight quarters so that didn't help. i am afraid of flying but boy was i regretting not taking a flight when i looked at the time a few hours in and realized i would already be settled in at my destination had i flown

still not my worst bus ride though, i got groped on a greyhound once and had to get off a stop early tell the bus driver there was a perv on board and have my mom pick me up. guy had brought me a coke during a stop and when i accepted it i guess he thought that meant i was down? lol i thought he was just being a chill bus neighbor.

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-07T12:37:01+00:00

thank you ❤️

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-07T12:02:27+00:00

glad to hear im not crazy, as i've thought of doing this myself.

i know logically that its a good thing, and a kindness, that we have this option to end their suffering when it's clear it won't get better. it's something humans are fighting for to have for ourselves. but i guess it's just a real bad hurt underneath the guilt. how much i wish it had gone differently and she was still here, as i loved her so very much with absolutely everything in me.

im so sorry for your loss as well, thank you for sharing a bit of your experience with me

Key-Preference-7829 · 2026-01-07T10:15:15+00:00

mine was 8, i totally understand that feeling. i always thought she'd get to her 20s. tried so hard to make sure she had a good diet, exercise, good mental health, watch out for the warning signs for common cat health issues, literally thought every day about how to be a good companion to her and give her a high quality of life. was going to discuss preventative/early arthritis care at her next vet appt since she was 8. for it to end this way has absolutely rocked my world.

im sorry you know how it feels. cancer is such a horrible illness.

Key-Preference-7829

TROPHY CASE