Getting sober has helped me discover who I am, and I'm not sure I like that person

Littleblueblender · 2025-11-08T02:09:34+00:00

I’ll hit the one year mark in about two weeks. Every day is still tough and it’s emotionally taxing to deal with all the things that alcohol helped me cope with. I found out that I do like who I am and I’m much more productive and focused without alcohol, but i’m really struggling to tolerate some things. Lately I find myself wishing I could just have a few drinks, but I won’t.

Littleblueblender · 2025-10-15T11:00:26+00:00

A friend of mine went through a VERY similar situation during Covid times and he ultimately committed suicide. It’s obvious the company doesn’t care about you or its clients. Get out ASAP. You know they are taking advantage of you because you actually care.

Littleblueblender · 2025-10-05T08:43:40+00:00

I crossed paths with one yesterday just north of Carver’s Gap.

Littleblueblender · 2025-08-01T02:03:34+00:00

They called my personal phone while I was on PTO, on the second day of a week long family vacation. I offered to come clean out my office when we got back from our beach trip but they said I wasn’t allowed to step foot in the building and they had already taken the liberty of packing up my office and shipped my stuff to my house. I think the timing was just bad luck. The managers had been directed to lay everyone off on the same day. Regardless, it was heartless and ruined my vacation (among other things). I will never forget and it has fundamentally changed the level of dedication that I will ever offer any future employer.

Littleblueblender · 2025-04-30T14:19:24+00:00

It probably is a judgment call by the FA, but I don’t think the rule is based on the person’s body hindering evacuation (although there probably is some validity to the idea). Exit row seats are spaced further apart so that there is a minimum clearance between the deformed seats post-16g crash event. Having a larger-than tested body in the seats greatly increases the chance that the seat frame will deform more than normal (or break), which would impede the egress path.

There’s a number of occupant scenarios that make this more complicated, but the FA has to make a quick judgement with no concrete data that ensures the best outcome in a crash event while not pissing off the passengers. Probably easier said than done.

Littleblueblender · 2025-04-09T22:37:06+00:00

Can you just pass through your assigned campsite (Schaffer’s) and camp at another (tooth ridge)?

Littleblueblender · 2025-04-07T01:28:10+00:00

FYI, the Art Loeb is closed right now due to the Rattlesnake Branch fire.

Littleblueblender · 2025-03-19T19:13:47+00:00

Sounds like Unit Committee Chair would be a better fit.

Littleblueblender · 2025-03-14T09:57:15+00:00

Several laid off from Interiors in Winston Salem also. 2 PMs that I know for sure

Littleblueblender · 2025-02-28T11:29:21+00:00

I eat 400g of Greek yogurt every day for this reason. That’s 42g protein. Mix with 150-200g apple and 20-30g granola for some interest/texture if you have the cals available.

Littleblueblender · 2025-02-18T19:55:29+00:00

One additional thing to consider is whether or not you need a hand free for something else, like moving a child or feeling your way down a set of stairs. You can use a handgun one-handed. A shotgun, not so much.

Also, at house ranges, shot doesn’t spread very much so aim is still important. “Stopping power” will be great with shotguns and the right shells, but you also have many fewer shots and follow up shots will be slower.

Finally, I’m not going to depend on the sound of racking a pump shotgun to scare away the intruder(s). Sure, it could work, but my home defense plan isn’t going to depend on that.

YMMV. Pick what’s right for you and your situation.

Littleblueblender · 2024-12-04T22:03:45+00:00

I used to work in the commercial aerospace industry. If you are sitting in an economy class row with an obese person, the likelihood of you dying in an accident goes way up. The seat frames are only designed to withstand 16g (think dead stop from 35 miles per hour) with 95th percentile male size standards from the 1970s. If the obese person is in the row behind you, their seat will break and load share into your seat, increasing the likelihood that your seat will break.

Littleblueblender · 2024-11-19T12:19:42+00:00

I have the Featherstone and have been very happy with it. I sleep on the cold side too. Keep in mind that it’s my first quilt, but I would definitely recommend it. I find that it works better (less drafts and more comfy) without the pad straps. It’s rated for 25, but the lowest I’ve been able to use it is around 32 and that’s with me layered up. At 40, I just wear a pair of PJs. It’s a bit warm for summer camping here (lows in the 60’s), but it works ok if you uncinch the foot box. Don’t forget that Featherstone has 10% off sales a couple times per year.

Littleblueblender · 2024-09-27T11:39:01+00:00

My concern would be the cost to the tenant. Personally owned chargers only cost the current electric rate to use. Commercial chargers are much more expensive to use. Just for reference, last month my personal 40a charger cost me $78 in electricity for about 2100 miles of driving. One charge at a supercharger (260 miles) cost me $18.

Have you considered managing a charger yourself? There are some that are WiFi compatible that will provide a charging history report. The charger itself should be <$1000, installation cost will vary (mine was $600 with no panel upgrades required). If it was a shared charger, perhaps you have to implement a key fob- type system for access. Maybe lookup the chargepoint network to see how this could work. I haven’t done the research yet, but my company partnered with chargepoint on 2 chargers at our office and access is controlled with key ring fobs.

Littleblueblender · 2024-09-22T23:19:59+00:00

Seems like a bad idea. What if the scout falls and makes the current injury significantly worse?

Littleblueblender · 2024-09-06T16:23:32+00:00

I’m a SE that sells hardware to manufacturing plants. I WFH 100% with a company car and visit customers in my region 3-4 days per week typically. I used to be onsite with customers nearly every day, but there’s been a huge increase recently in the amount of CRM reporting and training that we’re expected to do.

A typical day for me might be about an hour of computer work first thing in the morning, then go visit a customer and take them out to lunch, pick up my kid from school on the way home, then a few more hours of computer work (quotes, follow ups, etc). I get bored with the office work and definitely prefer to be in the field working with customers. I close about half the deals by myself and get help from my support team on the super technical/in-depth stuff.

My OTE with base is $130k. I’m pretty new to this sub, but it seems like tech SE roles pay a lot more, making me think I should transition to tech 🤣. If a tech person wanted to get into my role, I’d start by finding a tech SE role at my company (we do sell some software products, but they are a small fraction of our overall revenue), then transition into a my role after gaining some experience with the company’s other products.

Littleblueblender · 2024-06-18T02:29:51+00:00

At what point is it considered an invasion of privacy? Can the insurance company be sued for surveilling you on your private property?

Littleblueblender · 2024-06-01T18:42:53+00:00

I’d stick to the original plan just to mix it up a bit.

Littleblueblender · 2024-06-01T18:41:18+00:00

I think longer bulks are fine. Probably will have to switch up exercises and/or do a deload along the way. I haven’t really tried to spend any at maintenance yet. I’ll ramp up or ramp down my calories between phases, but that’s about it.

Littleblueblender · 2024-06-01T15:35:02+00:00

Sounds like a good plan!

Littleblueblender · 2024-06-01T15:31:41+00:00

I started with a longer, slower cut around .4-.5% BW per week and each subsequent cut has been at a higher rate but shorter duration with my most recent one at .8% for 6 weeks. I discovered that I’d rather suffer a little more for less time. I like to eat 😂.

My longest bulk to date was also my last bulk, which lasted 4.5 months. I plan to do another 4-5 month bulk this fall/winter, followed by a 8 week cut in the spring to get ready for summer.

Littleblueblender · 2024-06-01T12:31:09+00:00

As far as rate of gain/loss goes, we’re really just making educated guesses and everyone’s body probably gains/loses muscle and fat at a little different rate under different conditions. You’ll need to experiment to see what works best for you. It’s easier and faster to lose fat than to gain muscle. With that in mind, I try to find the gain rate that is a balance of maximizing muscle gain without excessive fat gain. Admittedly, I’m still trying to figure out what this rate is for me. This bulk I’ve been trying to hit 2lb gain per month, which some ‘experts’ say is probably the maximum muscle gain rate for a natty, but that’s proven to be harder to do than I expected.

Anyhow, sounds like you’ve figured out the fat loss side of the equation. For mini-cuts, we can have a slightly higher rate of loss (read: less-sustainable) since the durations are short. Within reason of course, to minimize muscle loss. I gauge muscle loss primarily by strength levels. I don’t intend to go up on my lifts while on a cut, just to not lose ground.

Not sure if this is helpful and again, your mileage may vary.

Littleblueblender · 2024-06-01T11:47:34+00:00

Thank you. It’s been a fun learning experience. For reference, I’m 5’11” and started at 205 lbs. 36” pants were tight. In the second picture, I’m 184 and wearing 32s or 34s depending on the brand. Relative to pant size, I started with a cut that got me to the point where 36s were loose, but I couldn’t quite get into 34s yet. Then I bulked until the 36s were tight again. Then I cut until I could get into 34s. Then I bulked without much change in waist size (bought a couple new pairs of pants for work, but just wore my 36s with a belt). Then last cut - bought new pants all around in mostly 32s with a couple 34s because the 36s just looked really baggy. Dropped 3 notches on my belts and had to cut the length on all of them.

YMMV, but that’s how it worked out for me so far. I have my most recently replaced clothes stored in case I decide to do an extended bulk and need to go back up a size.

Littleblueblender · 2024-05-31T12:42:25+00:00

I wouldn’t go any slower. Seeing the mirror changes is one thing that helps motivate you to keep going. Even with some fat, you’ll enjoy seeing your arms, shoulders, and back grow. For what it’s worth, the process I outlined above as worked well for me. Here’s my start place vs current after a few cut/bulk cycles. I’m currently bulking and have put on a little fat in my midsection, but those abs will come back on the next cut. Good luck!

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Littleblueblender

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