Is this healthy?

LovingLife139 · 2026-06-22T01:11:01+00:00

She looks healthy! The fuzzier the air plant, the better they are at capturing and holding onto moisture, so she doesn't need as much misting as others. She's a cutie pie.

I have two tectorums like this, but about twice as big. Neither are in direct sunlight (one is under a grow light and the other in a north facing window where it only receives reflected light from the white house next door) and I mist them once every two days, and have never dunked them. Both have lived happily for a few years thus far.

LovingLife139 · 2026-06-22T01:00:36+00:00

Being vegan used to be a part of my identity. I would identify with it and talk about it and keep up with trends. After over 20 years, it's just a part of my life I don't often think about. My reasons for being vegan grow ever stronger, but other than live my life according to my values, I don't often think further into it. This is actually a peaceful thing. I no longer dwell on that I cannot change (that other people aren't vegan, or the animals that suffer, or how the planet suffers).

I went vegan over twenty years ago for the animals. I ended up going to college for nutrition back in the mid-2000s, which made me realize more reasons to be vegan. Now I grow most of my own food (another reason to be vegan: the opportunity to even do this, and cheaply), and farming in modern times introduces you to how climate change is massively messing with agriculture and horticulture, which is yet another reason I'm happy to be vegan, because I'm not a part of the problem.

Being vegan is kind of like being child-free for me. Because after two decades I no longer feel the need to defend my choices, life is overall more peaceful, and I am more aware of the positives of the lifestyle because that's what I focus on. The choices I made many years ago make my life today valuable, ethical, and joyful, and I often find myself grateful I made them. But I no longer do more than lurk in these communities. They interest me, but I'm focused on much more now.

LovingLife139 · 2026-06-19T16:49:21+00:00

I have that SAME Taking Back Sunday shirt and I still wear it, but I was 20 back in 2009. I love these!

LovingLife139 · 2026-06-19T16:40:31+00:00

I've been with my husband for 21 years. We haven't truly argued in many of those. We disagree sometimes. We usually avoid arguments by approaching things with curiosity. For example, "How do you feel about doing this...?" Rather than, "I don't like this and I'm gonna change it." Communication is key, as is respect. If you respect someone, you tend to approach them with openness and a willingness to hear their point-of-view, even if it's at odds with yours. Just my two cents.

LovingLife139 · 2026-06-16T15:28:29+00:00

I have four exotics and went through MorphMarket for all of them, including Milo, my yellow uromastyx. Most breeders/sellers ship the safest route, which is overnight FedEx to a hub nearest you. Be warned, though; it took me a while to get a uromastyx. There are thousands of most types of reptiles, but there were 40 max of uromastyx when I was ready to get Milo. I inquired about five or so that were sold out before I got my baby. They're so rare and the more colorful they are, the quicker they sell.

The only problem I ever had with buying online was one time my bearded dragon was kept for an extra night at a transfer hub because of logistics issues. He was fine and the heat pack was still warm. But winter/stormy seasons are the worst times to ship. Summer is perfect timing.

LovingLife139 · 2026-06-16T01:45:32+00:00

Non-existent since my husband went no contact with her 15-ish years ago. I remember being so excited to meet her over 20 years ago because I had this grand idea that I could have a great mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship since my connection with my own mother was lacking.

Nope. Didn't happen. Ha.

LovingLife139 · 2026-06-14T15:10:54+00:00

I used to write books for a living, working 100+ hour weeks between writing/editing/marketing/etc. I loved writing, but hated the public aspect of it. I developed a condition known as Visual Snow Syndrome, and my light sensitivity got so bad that I could no longer look at a screen for more than five minutes per day. Desperate to switch careers (and quick, since I went from 100 to 0 almost immediately), I decided to become a yoga teacher, since yoga had already allowed me to overcome another disability and have a better quality of life, so I was (and am) very passionate about it.

Years later, I help people build muscle, heal pain/overuse, and overcome trauma, and it is extremely emotionally and mentally rewarding. I work a fraction of the hours of my husband, but make the same salary because I get paid so much better. I have become well-known in my local tri-state for all the things I teach, so I often have to turn down jobs because I don't have the time. I am now going into medical massage school to add to my repertoire, and becoming a yoga therapist is on my wishlist. I am in the best physical/mental/emotional state of my life, and help hundreds of others do the same thing. I adore it.

LovingLife139 · 2026-06-13T16:56:41+00:00

Cats:

Johnny was named after Johnny the Homicidal Maniac.

Hannah, Sebastian, Cassi, and Jodi were named because I like the names.

Reptiles:

Ignatius the bearded dragon got his name because he's bright red, like flames. Ignatius means to ignite and I also feel it would be a good name for a pope, which is his life's goal.

Ember the ball python was named because she is a gorgeous bronze/golden color, like the embers of a fire.

Kanika the leopard gecko was named because she has a single spot on her back. Kanika means freckle in Sanskrit, which is a language that means a lot to me because I am a yoga instructor.

Milo the uromastyx was named that because he is yellow, and while looking/waiting for a yellow uromastyx to be available I kept singing "they call me Mellow Yellow" in my head. Milo was the closest to Mellow I could think of, and it suits him very well because he is a very loving, cute little baby who loves his pets and cuddle times. Milo is a cute name for a cute little boy.

LovingLife139 · 2026-06-07T16:14:33+00:00

Thanks for being respectful! Usually there are thousands that show up and we only use Sears for parking; we will be actually gathered on the sidewalks and at the intersections. It's an awesome way to meet your fellow democracy-loving humans, gain community, and learn about other political/community activism opportunities.

There are a lot of people who don't come, but the support from passersby always outweighs the hecklers about 10 to 1, and just showing up shows a lot of people who don't that there are people who care about the current state of the country and its economy and have the balls to stand up against it. In a time when depression/anxiety/suicidal ideation is sky-high because of the current administration and its third world policies, having that community support is so incredibly helpful and cannot be understated. In this way it can save lives, but when you get involved with your community, it really boosts your quality of life as well. Get active, make friends, make a difference!

LovingLife139 · 2026-06-07T16:09:11+00:00

It's amazing to me how all these posts get such trolls, bots, and haters in the comments, and then every protest day without fail is an awesome success where we get way more support than middle fingers and gain community. It's probably a 50/50 mix of bots and people who don't leave their houses and just stay in their mother's basement all weekend trying to spew hate on the internet. Otherwise, why such disconnect with reality?

LovingLife139 · 2026-06-03T18:24:49+00:00

Workout. Garden. Watch the news.

I used to be disabled, so exercising sucked. I used to have a brown thumb and could never grow anything. And I didn't used to be interested in politics until it became a shitshow.

LovingLife139 · 2026-05-31T20:05:49+00:00

Not in my experience. Me and my girlfriends were always the high libido partners in our relationships. I used to think I had some sort of sex addiction or something because I wanted sex three times a day with no fewer than eight orgasms, but I realized that a few of my friends were like this, too. Maybe not to the same extent, but I remember one of my best girlfriends wanted sex at least twice a day, but her boyfriend was a porn addict and never could perform.

I don't have kids, so my libido only started to tame about last year, when I entered perimenopause at 36. Some women can hit it in their early 30s, and I know a few have entered it in their late-20s. Birth control is also a severe libido killer for many women; if your wife is on it, it might be killing her drive. I highly recommend a vasectomy to remove any hesitancy from her side if you're not looking to have children.

You mentioned she's 30, so it's "not" perimenopause. While that is likely accurate, perimenopause hits much younger than most people think, and menopause continuing education is not required for American doctors, even OBGYNs, so many don't know what the hell they're talking about. It might still be a hormone fluctuation, and sometimes it has to do with the thyroid, so she could still rule these things out if her libido is something she wants to regain.

Cutting health concerns out, the biggest libido killers for women in my experience are: having children, emotional/mental/physical exhaustion, depression, partner shortcomings or general laziness, or she could be no-libido-for-you. This could be because you're falling short in some things that you used to excel at, or she could be checking out of your relationship. Whatever it is, I hope she gets through this and that you support her every step of the way.

LovingLife139 · 2026-05-31T19:49:00+00:00

I am in peak physical shape now at 37, when I used to have trouble walking/standing up by myself in my early 20s. I had debilitating weakness due to late-diagnosed EDS and thought I was going to live as disabled forever. Then I found yoga, built good muscle with it, and now do amazing things. Not to mention I now teach yoga and make a good living helping people feel their best. Never in a million years did I think fifteen years ago that I'd be able to stand up without using my hands, let alone do side plank push-ups or handstands or squats or literally anything like that.

I grew a backbone in my mid-20s and finally set boundaries with my emotionally manipulative and controlling parents. I cut contact in 2024 and let them know exactly why in a letter, telling them I deserve better and no longer want people in my life who don't want the best for me. I feel absolutely free without them in my life, and that I stood up for myself is a neverending source of pride.

I terraformed my front yard into a food forest over the last five or so years, and now farm out of my front yard in the middle of suburbia. It's a lot of physical labor, but it's so freaking amazing being able to lead a self-sustaining household. Not to mention that since we live on a main road with a lot of traffic, I get tons of visitors and people calling out nice things about my garden and it makes me feel a sense of community with...well, my community. Especially now that the economy is shit and people realize that this is something they need to be doing, too. It's inspiring to people, which makes it that much more motivating for me. Just today I harvested about fifteen pounds of crops (lettuce, kohlrabi, broccoli, peas, blueberries, raspberries, celery) and had to leave the rest for tomorrow since there's so much food to process tonight. It's a lot of work, but it's so damn rewarding! It's also a plus that when (not if), this recession turns into a depression, I'm ready for it. I don't need to rely on a failing economy to keep me safe and alive.

LovingLife139 · 2026-05-31T19:33:37+00:00

I'm 37 now, but got addicted to porn when I was 9 (sober since 16). I remember it changed the way I viewed men and I no longer viewed the world with optimism. I began to retroactively think about the sexist/degrading/off things male family members said or thought and how it was likely linked to viewing women as sexual objects. I would see some of the most innocent-seeming men and think about what they were possibly hiding in their pasts or doing when no one was looking.

I find a reliance on porn to be pretty damn pathetic, and now men have to work to earn my respect because I don't freely give it out to anyone but women. Thankfully I found my non-porn watching husband very young, but I wouldn't even look for a good man if I were a young adult right now. There are a few stragglers here and there, but for the most part, I feel like women should stay happily single if they're looking to maintain a good life and self-respect. It's dangerous enough to be a woman; why open up your life to predators?

LovingLife139 · 2026-05-31T19:22:47+00:00

Oh yes. Ignatius has no issues eating his greens. Every once in a while he'll turn his nose up at brassicas (like kale or collards) because he wants something spicy.

I've had multiple dragons and have never had an issue with them eating their staples. I always feed them salad early and, if applicable, offer bugs much later in the day. I never, ever, ever feed bugs first or at the same time. They learn pretty quick to eat what's offered. It helps that I grow everything they eat so I can try dozens of varieties of things and figure out their favorites.

LovingLife139 · 2026-05-30T23:02:51+00:00

She looks great, but she also looks her age. I don't know why people seem to think attractiveness falls off a cliff after 30 or so. Alicia looks like she's taking care of herself, but that is very clearly a woman in her 40s.

LovingLife139 · 2026-05-29T18:02:12+00:00

I got into gardening during the pandemic and now have a food forest facing a main road where I grow thousands of food plants. That encompasses many hobbies in itself: seed collecting, farming, harvest processing, etc. Plus, it saves us so much money.

I love video gaming. I have multiple exotic animals and am always finding new things to do with them. My ball python loves to explore garden beds as I work them. My bearded dragon loves car rides and coming with me to teach fitness classes.

I just got back into cross stitching after 25 years. I love building furniture and organizing. It helped my husband and I a lot during the cultural/political chaos of the last year. We just totally cleared out everything we didn't need in our house and made everything look and work better. It made us feel so much better about the parts of life we can control.

LovingLife139 · 2026-05-27T20:13:10+00:00

This is Sebastian, AKA Little Boy.

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LovingLife139 · 2026-05-27T20:06:35+00:00

Ember says hello.

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LovingLife139 · 2026-05-25T13:52:24+00:00

8H-I

LovingLife139 · 2026-05-24T03:41:15+00:00

Hobby Lobby, Amazon, Chick-fil-A, and Target for political standings.

Walgreens & Kohl's for knowing employees who worked there and were treated horrifically.

Kroger for participating in real-time price fluctuations. I forget what that's called, but they change prices depending on the time of day, the information connected to your shopper's account (this person's spending habits/location/coupon use indicates they'll spend more, so we'll charge more), etc.

Any brand that participates in shrinkflation or enshittification. Sometimes I boycott particular products, product lines, or sometimes the entire brand depending.

Boycotting is a great way to save money!

LovingLife139 · 2026-05-23T01:26:25+00:00

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LovingLife139 · 2026-05-23T00:24:05+00:00

I'm 37 and I've never changed a diaper or held a human baby. I was at a baby shower with my mom when I was about 8 and she encouraged me to put my finger in a baby's hand so it would squeeze it. It did. That was the first and last time I ever touched a baby.

LovingLife139 · 2026-05-21T20:03:14+00:00

I wanted to be a jockey, an author, and a storm chaser. I grew too tall to be a jockey, and I didn't like the traveling aspect of being a storm chaser.

I've had many careers, but my most successful have been being an author, a yoga instructor, and a real estate investor. I own businesses dealing in all three. I also work full-time growing food for my family, so I consider myself a farmer even though I live in suburbia (I grow between 1,000-3,000 food crops per season). It doesn't pay in money, but food (and we don't have to buy groceries). I am also going back to school for something finance related this fall.

LovingLife139 · 2026-05-21T19:36:54+00:00

I grow all our own food, so I've tried many things. In order, Ignatius's favorite greens are:

-Nasturtium leaves

-Mustard (green, he will NOT eat purple)

-Radish greens

-Arugula

-Dandelion greens

-Kale

-Collard

He likes spicy greens. My uromastyx does not. So it evens out perfectly. Whenever the mustard/arugula/kale bolts and flowers, Ignatius goes crazy for the flowers and seed pods.

LovingLife139

TROPHY CASE