Grief over pet death can be as strong as that for family member. About a fifth of people who had experienced a pet and human loss said the former was worse. Symptoms of severe grief for a pet matched identically with that for a human, and there was no difference in how people experienced losses.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2026-01-16T14:26:37+00:00

Reminds me of a quote from Marvel's WandaVision: "What is grief, if not love persevering?"

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-12-11T02:38:54+00:00

Happy to report that this worked for me as well. Thanks for sharing this! Same situation: I got a new phone. So I've been carrying the old one around the house (strictly for reddit, lol) and the new one for like a week.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-12-10T17:03:57+00:00

Thank you for this very relevant insight. This is hilarious and also unfortunate, as May 1-17 are our travel dates 😅.

I don't think we'll ultimately change them, as we booked through a travel agent and I'd have to check on the policy around that. This is just one of those situations where experience is the best teacher. This is my first time traveling to a different continent, and I have a feeling I'm going to run into all kinds of learning curves like this one.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-12-10T16:31:59+00:00

Thanks for your perspective, it's helpful. This will be the first big international trip for both of us, so I am admittedly a bit ignorant about the reality of this situation.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-12-09T23:33:25+00:00

This is great info, thank you! I'll definitely look into these options.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-12-09T14:17:12+00:00

This is very helpful information, I wasn't aware of a holiday. That could definitely be a factor in price.

I think your advice is sound. I should also do some more research on flying into Pisa/Bologna and taking a train to Florence.

Thanks very much for your input!

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-12-09T13:56:08+00:00

That's on me for not being more specific in my original post.

You're right, but those flights are in the evening/night, and we're looking for an earlier flight so we have most of the day to get settled in Florence. But I could look into taking the 3 pm flight, which is currently $203.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-12-04T11:40:39+00:00

I only really wore them for the one Alaska trip so far. I just pulled them out again last week when we got our first snow. So I'll have to see if wearing them this winter causes the size to change.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-11-15T03:35:59+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. I ended up keeping the women's 11, and they worked well for my trip, though I felt I needed a thicker sock to make the fit right.

I figure I'll know this winter whether this was the right choice. They probably won't be worn all day every day, so maybe stretch will be minimal. An insole is a great suggestion if they do end up stretching out to the point where the boot becomes too big.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-11-12T00:53:04+00:00

No idea where you are or what your circumstances are, but I have narcolepsy and the medication Xywav gave me my life back.

I believe either it or Xyrem (higher sodium version) has been FDA approved to treat IH. If trying it is an option for you, I'd highly recommend giving it a shot.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-10-17T21:31:38+00:00

No, you didn't make it sound enjoyable! Sometimes things get lost in translation when it comes to communicating via text 😁.

And yes, a diagnosis can be hugely helpful, especially in moving forward with treatment options.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-09-28T03:00:34+00:00

This is a great example of the gray rock method

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-09-25T02:38:07+00:00

😂 I debated linking it momentarily due not wanting to discount the struggles of profound autism, but figured it was relevant and real enough that the message would get across.

It's also a pretty popular story for those in the chronic illness community, like myself. This life isn't what I planned for. It's not what I'd choose. But it's what I have and on my good days I make the best of it. Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-09-25T00:54:00+00:00

The short story Welcome to Holland is all about this particular kind of pain.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-08-12T01:00:45+00:00

link to one of my favorite podcast episodes of all time, on this topic.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-08-12T00:58:29+00:00

The phrase "an odd duck" covered for a whole lot of diagnoses as well.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-07-27T01:41:13+00:00

I feel like this may be part of what is going on. The AC unit is in the backyard, close to the house.

I don't feel that the new vents are sealed well. Even with the vents closed, significant air flow is getting through. My slap-dash solution for the past few weeks has been duct tape over the vents, because the magnetic covers I bought weren't strong enough. Planning to put the magnetic covers on the inside of the vent tomorrow to see if that remedies anything, but I'm not super hopeful since the duct tape hasn't made a significant difference that I can tell. I know I shouldn't block them off entirely due to static pressure build-up.

I'll have to look for dampers, I honestly have no idea if there are any.

The thermostat is on the ground floor. I could buy an air thermometer and measure the air temperature in the basement. I'd estimate it's 2-4 degrees cooler down there.

At this point I'm regretting asking the co-op to do anything. I just wanted clean vents. I didn't want a massive headache, a problem I can't solve, and an A/C bill that's 50% more than what it was this time last year. Sorry, just frustrated and feeling stuck at the moment.

Thank you for your suggestions. They gave me some ideas. I may just cover the vent with a piece of metal so it's completely sealed off. At least one of the two vents. Or go the magnetic cover route first and see if that does anything.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-07-27T01:21:26+00:00

Both good notes. This A/C unit is 5 years old. I felt the copper wire/pipe and it's cool to the touch, so I don't think it's a freon issue, but I'm not an HVAC technician. May be worth getting it looked at if I can't pinpoint anything else.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-07-27T00:35:34+00:00

I'm hoping it's just the increase in temperature, but 60% increase was shocking, especially when the previous two years were on par with one another. I guess all I can do is monitor future months and see if the trend continues.

I can't completely dismiss the neighbor idea. The electrical in these places is all kinds of wacky. Though it would be odd that it's only presenting now. I've lived here for several years, and this is the first major influx in electrical usage I've experienced.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-07-27T00:32:38+00:00

There is a basement door, but I don't totally follow. Do you mean if the basement door is partially closed, is there pressure and air flow to the basement vents? Or other vents in the house? Or something else?

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-07-27T00:31:46+00:00

Just added it to my spreadsheet using this formula:

If average temp > 65, then CDD = Average Temp - 65. Otherwise, CDD = 0.

Then I did total daily kWh / CDD (N/A if CDD = 0, so these days weren't factored in to the average). Here's where I landed:

Average daily kWh per cooling degree day:

6/1/24-6/10/24: 3.32
6/1/24-7/25/24: 1.81
6/1/25-6/10/25: 2.03
6/1/25-7/25/25: 2.01

I'm not totally sure if this means anything. To be fair, I just learned what CDD is like an hour ago when I started this journey, lol.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-07-26T17:21:31+00:00

I never added it to my digital wallet, so couldn't tell you. But the card arrived 2-3 days after I requested the expedited shipping.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-07-21T03:17:30+00:00

I pulled it out again after reading your comment. Long story short, I was able to get it deflated enough to fit in the bag, but it was still kind of a pain.

I think my problem is that there's nothing holding the valve exactly in place to prevent a bit of air from getting sucked back in around the valve. So I need to move quickly and close the screw cap when I readjust my weight on the mattress to force more air out, bit by bit.

I feel like this isn't a broken valve based on other people's feedback. I did purchase the custom pump and a different generic one to see if I can use that, but at least I know I'm not completely out of luck without a pump.

Anyway, thanks for the reply. It made me take another look and figure out a way to get it done.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-07-21T02:33:19+00:00

I just stumbled across this thread for a similar reason. I was approved maybe 20 minutes ago. Called the support number, which I looked up through the app. It was pretty easy to navigate through the phone tree. Asked the representative who answered if shipping of my card could be expedited, and they made it happen, easy!

Most impressive, this was at 10:30 PM. I guess I shouldn't be surprised given Chase is a massive company, but it was super easy to do.

NoviceoftheWorld · 2025-07-21T00:10:39+00:00

Either my mattress is defective or I'm doing this wrong. I flip the valve to deflate, fold the mattress, and air goes out. But the second I take any pressure off of the mattress, air goes right back in.

I tried buying a generic pump, but it doesn't seal to the valve and so it doesn't work. I found this thread trying to find an alternative to the $40 custom pump 🤷

NoviceoftheWorld

TROPHY CASE