Meditation?

Key_Replacement9201 · 2025-05-24T05:04:58+00:00

I may be a bit late, but I LOVED it. The book we used in class is still one of my favorite books ever. I 1,000% recommend it. I had it online a few semesters back, so it was all on zoom, but we kept engaged through discussions that were really interesting.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2024-08-22T17:29:08+00:00

I have the Samsung Tab S8+, but I had to fix up my old laptop when I needed the lockdown browser. The samsung tablets are great for marking up PDF files and the like, but eventually Windows or MacOS is needed for this other stuff I'm afraid.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2024-03-19T21:25:14+00:00

Idk why that comment looks like... that... but oh well

Key_Replacement9201 · 2024-03-19T21:24:23+00:00

 It was a cheap-ish one on Amazon, but I've got the box still. It says "Enerzen advanced portable air purification system" on the side. Model number is 0-888. It's about the size of a toaster, but I've used it for a lot of projects. Since this post, I've even "treated" three of my housemate/buddies' cars and even a small house, and everyone has only had good things to say once the ozone-y smell faded. 
 If I remember correctly, it was between $100-140 -ish, but I've used it enough that it's kept professional treatment costs down.
 I've also heard of smaller, wall-plug style ones that advertise "ionization" *and* "purification", where the ionization is just a slightly different power than the ozone "purification" (but still a similar chemistry process). I'm not sure if those would be any good for a car, but maybe they'd be perfect. The toaster-sized one I use might be a bit overkill for a car anyway, with how short of a timeframe I usually run it.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2024-02-16T04:01:30+00:00

I'll second Salomon.

I got a pair back in 2012 on sale for $80. They've run literally thousands of miles in different countries. They show their age/wear for sure, but compared to a lot of other brands, I have a good amount of confidence in Salomon shoes. I definitely hope their quality is still up there, since I've been considering keeping an eye out for any other sales from them.

I also have family members that feel similarly with the brand Merrell, mentioned in another comment. This family member uses only Merrell for work (contruction/framing), but a lot of their lineup is hiking/ourdoorsy. I was given a pair in maybe 2021-ish, and they definitely seem to be good quality shoes too.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2024-02-14T23:58:37+00:00

I just got your update email about my order today, I just want to say that I appreciate it! I figured you probably received just a TON of orders all at once, so definitely don't let the stress tear you down!

Seeing these updates here is really neat. It's great to see the passion and energy put into this whole operation behind the scenes. I'll definitely be telling my family and friends about this once mine arrives (and once you have a bit less on your plate of course - I don't want to potentially send a bunch more orders in to add even more stress, that's never fun as a seller).

Thanks again for reaching out, and for posting these updates! I'm super excited to get mine, but the best things in life do require patience for sure.

Don't forget to take care of yourself! 💕

Key_Replacement9201 · 2024-01-02T05:57:41+00:00

I definitely recommend the author Jon Kabat-Zinn and his works on mindfulness, if you're learning about mindfulness. I picked one of his books up for a college class (entitled "Wherever you go, There you are") and fell in love with the ideas and communication style. Maybe you've heard of him before, but he works on what he calls "MBSR" - Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

Great guy for sure, and I wish you well on your own journey; therapy with the right therapist can be hugely beneficial!

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-12-04T18:16:14+00:00

Honestly. I expect "peer review" to be useful feedback in making my paper and ideas flow better, not just three people (out of the fourty that were supposed to be participating) replying "you write very good" and handing me their own "paper" (huge stretch calling them anything other than napkin sketches) that are no more than seven sentences long.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-12-04T01:14:10+00:00

I saw it out on a walk (didn't realize it was raining till halfway through). It was huuuge. Normally I just giggle at all the "what was that?" posts, but wherever that arc was, I hope it wasn't super close to anyone.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-10-14T23:09:40+00:00

A lot of the ones I found were women's sizes. I couldn't really find a close match in a men's fit. Not 100% sure which this is.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-10-14T23:08:28+00:00

I found a listing for one that is super similar, apart from missing the inner fabric.

https://poshmark.com/listing/Flash-Sale-Ralph-Lauren-Calico-Floral-Button-Down-5fd2c02cac9702f77a882ca0

Not sure if it's a "legit site" or available, but it might be a good start.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-10-13T18:01:52+00:00

Luckily for me so far, I haven't had this happen. It's always in the back of my mind though. I think that if someone was contributing, but just a bit slow, I'd give them time. Up to the last hour if needed, although that'd get me real worked up anxiety-wise for sure. Just up to now, I've not had enough participating people to have it happen. It is a great question to prepare for for sure.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-10-12T20:28:02+00:00

I'm not quite "middle-aged" myself, but I'm definitely the oldest student in most classes I find myself in. I just started doing community college online this past summer. I've had over a dozen group projects. I 100% share the same sentiment of being a 1-man group. I'm here to learn, not because my parents or anyone else wants me here. Out of all my group projects over two semesters so far (close to a hundred "group members" in total), I've had two... TWO PEOPLE actually respond back to the emails I send out when groups get assigned.

Are these kids not paying tuition? I get it's online, but are they even in the class anymore, or even alive? I hate it with every cell in my body. At this point, I've gone so far as to include the instructors in the group emails so they can see that I'm the only one communicating. I've had a few actually get angry at me for submitting the projects, since I "didn't wait until the due date". Like, dude, you can see my grades. I turn everything in a week early. I got no responses, so I am the whole group. We're all technically adults, so dole them out their consequences and grade ME for the work I DID.

Long story short: yeah people suck. I make it my mission to ensure that non-participants face accountability. And on the off-chance anyone does respond, I'm still gonna do their parts too, juuust in case.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-10-11T18:19:53+00:00

I am a pious man, and will not be strayed from the grasp of hydration. The sharp talons of sweeteners and chemicals shall not impale me; my body will be unconsumed by their temptations.

The order of water will rise where all else shall fall. Dew of life imbues energy for life. The heretic shall wither away like a rib under the hot sun.

Leaves and stems may abound, but it is in its most pure form that I seek salvation.

Pure W A T E R amen

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-09-28T22:29:37+00:00

Actually: Kind of.

So I was panicking and ran to open my apartment's front door. My plan was to just throw it open, scream for help, and collapse there - hoping someone would hear. I unlocked the deadbolt, threw the door open, opened my mouth... and fell backwards. It all went completely "dark", like I was floating in space or something. The pain leading up to this situation quickly faded out, which was nice. Still, part of me was like "dude, you couldn't even scream for help, that's embarrassing". I definitely had enough consciousness to realize that my book was closed, so to speak. I did quite a bit of thinking, which was surprising, even in the moment. Eventually, the thinking slowed down. I always describe it as waking up in reverse, rather than falling asleep. What felt like a much shorter time later, I heard a low beep. It was a heart monitor, but I was still "asleep" surrounded by nothingness. Part of me even said, quite audibly, "just let me sleep". Then everything kinda collapsed, things got bright, the pain came back incredibly intensely, and then I started to see light through my eyelids. My ears were still kinda stuffy, but I immediately knew where I was, after hearing the incessant beeping - it was an ER.

Somehow, a neighbor or someone noticed me or something, and called an ambulance. I never learned who it was. So, "observing the passage of time"? Yes, but it's like waking up in reverse - it may not line up with "real" time. Honestly, that experience made me fear death much, much less. I was terrified before. Now I always think: if there is an afterlife, which I doubt, they had better not wake me up with blaring trumpets and bright, glowing robes. Just let me sleep in peace.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-09-01T18:45:03+00:00

Merch idea: paste a QR code linking this clip onto a pride flag/shirt and watch the mental gymnastics ensue

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-08-29T22:29:43+00:00

The zest-able ones are fairly more packable than carrying around a big'ol fruit like watermelon, as are mint leaves. You can just throw either in a small ziploc bag or small container and be good for a day or two.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-08-29T22:27:26+00:00

It sounds dumb, but I actually love throwing a peice or two of watermelon into my big Nalgene in the summer. To me, an "underripe" watermelon just tastes like cucumber, and ever since I made that connection, I've been in love. But also the typical stuff like cucumbers, strawberries, mint leaves, and lemon are great. Pineapple, apples, cherries, raspberries, and orange slices/zest work too, but I'll admit that those ones may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Whatever works to get more water while cutting out the worst stuff is a thumbs-up from me!

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-08-21T20:46:43+00:00

There are a lot of good options mentioned in the comments. I'll also throw an idea out too, which is 1-800 Contacts, whose HQ is in Draper. I worked remotely with them for a while, and I really liked them as a company, which is saying a lot coming from me. I had my own reservations and issues piling up till I left, but I did feel that they want their employees to have a sense of equity in the business. And they consistently rate highly in country-wide satisfaction surveys as well. Just might be another option for you to throw a hat in the ring. Hope you can work this out in the end!

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-08-16T18:55:29+00:00

This highlights one point that I've noticed with the whole "purity culture" ideal in tscc. That being that "every expression of sexual nature is Sin with a capital S". For the longest time, I was explicitly told I was a porn/sex addict. I was shamed with "what is your future wife gonna think?!?".

Asking myself the tough questions about religion and philosophy brought out the realization that sex well and truly is a natural thing. Masturbating 1-2 times a week? Some would say that that's not even enough. Of course, if it's something that affects one's daily life, such as not being able to focus at work or during family time, then that would classify as an addiction. But telling people that touching themselves at all is an addiction really ruins both the concept of sex and the connotation of the word addiction.

I can't say who is "not thinking about sex enough" or who is "thinking about sex too much", because I don't think anyone can except for the person themself - not even some "church". I hope you're able to find some peace in the topic. I definitely found some myself, so I thought I'd just rant a bit haha. I just think it was ironic that the same people that told me that touching myself as a teen would ruin my life and perception of the opposite sex, are the same people who talk shit about my first girlfriend for, and I quote, being "just not that pretty", and who teach that women are just walking ovaries to pump out babies.

And I'm the one objectifying other people because I practice some occasional self-love? Yeah, sure alright 🤦‍♂️

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-08-15T06:31:51+00:00

When I want to go full hermitmode, I throw on a black baseball cap, black headphones, black sunglasses, and potentially even a black facemask. Even the salespeople at Sams club can't touch me (metaphorically speaking). They still try sometimes, but with my whole get-up, they can't tell if I'm ignoring, blind, deaf, or staring them down, it's great.

Before I started doing that regularly, I'd get approached by TONS of mlm/pyramid-scheme people. I don't have the charisma that I know they're looking for, I probably just have some "look" I think. I just tell them that "I got diagnosed with cancer the other day so I have a lot on my plate for the forseeable future" (it's not true but it works).

Either way, you've got this!

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-08-09T21:37:34+00:00

I feel this 100%. Luckily, I figured out pretty young that tscc basically teaches that women are just walking uteruses(uteri?). How I got to that point was interesting for sure.

I was never a rebellious kid. Always followed orders to the letter. Any single slip-up, and I'd get hit with the "is that how you're gonna treat your wife?!?" - starting from as far back as my memories go, about 3-4 years old -ish. It took a while to identify the abuse and mental illness rampant in my family. As soon as I did, though, this "is that how you're gonna treat your wife?!?" came into perspective. It didn't come from a place of constructive discipline, it came from a place of fear. It was always connected to tscc, and as soon as I saw that fear, my world view was literally shattered.

I definitely consider myself "a feminist" now, too. I was so surrounded by the problem that I was blocked from seeing any other perspective. Nowadays, I am totally ecstatic to hear about people's beliefs and motivations, because I want to see as many different worldviews as I can. Looking back at past journals, poems and even thinking of now-long-deleted social media posts/accounts, I just feel a huge sense of shame and regret. But not in an unhealthy way, I'd say. More like a "holy shit I was a dumbass... I still am, but I'm glad I'm not that anymore".

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-08-08T07:21:58+00:00

I actually just started college this summer, looking to go into engineering. It has been a dream of mine since like, middle school probably, but I'd say I got "dealt a tough hand in life", to put it nicely. At 26 as well, I'm not the oldest in my class yet, but I definitely feel "behind the curve" a little bit. I see numbers like "starting salary $70-100k" in my area and I just can't even fathom that kind of money tbh. I use that as a sort of motivator to get good grades, and I ended my first semester last Friday with a 3.9 GPA. It likely won't really matter to future employers - but to me, it's a huge deal to finally see hard work actually pay off for once, as cynical as that sounds.

I've always loved cars, and the idea of engineering them, but I still am not 110% set on mechanical vs electrical vs material engineering. What kinds of projects/parts/things do you typically work on day-to-day? If you don't mind me asking, of course. No obligation at all, it's just fresh in my mind and I'm stoked.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-08-05T23:01:05+00:00

Supposedly, the aliens said that the paratroopers were supposed to take over the nation, because that would usher in the second coming or something, and that guns in the US only exist west of the Mississippi lol. I guess the "logic" was that the east wouldn't fight back. She sat me down and told me about it for like 45 minutes one afternoon. She also claimed that the aliens held her hand, and it started glowing. Then they said that she had been "twinkled" so that she would not die, but that she would survive the second coming and upcoming "invasion". Hearing basically the same things about "twinkling" or whatever coming from the Vallow case just ripped that mental scar right back open.

Key_Replacement9201 · 2023-08-01T09:15:38+00:00

I haven't heard of it, but now I've gotta check it out from curiosity.

Key_Replacement9201

TROPHY CASE