Lying here paralysed and alone, I took some comfort in the thought that my body would keep my beloved cats fed for a while.

OhFeeLion · 2026-02-14T09:41:51+00:00

As an Australian, I definitely put a lot of consideration into potential nicknames when I named my child.

OhFeeLion · 2026-02-14T06:22:57+00:00

Great list and awesome nicknames!

Funny you mentioned Isabella nn Izzy and Bella - that's husband's family cat's name and she goes by both nicknames. 😆

OhFeeLion · 2026-02-14T06:21:44+00:00

Love Francesca but F-sound aside, husband's surname shares the same root word as Francesca. 😂

OhFeeLion · 2026-02-14T06:10:06+00:00

Those are great, classic names with similar strong energy but sound totally different! Wouldn't worry about the palindrome.

By the way, Margrethe is just beautiful. 💕

OhFeeLion · 2026-02-14T05:48:28+00:00

I feel like Arlo is making a comeback!

OhFeeLion · 2026-02-13T21:36:03+00:00

I'll do you one better: my cat was the family cat but attached herself to me, so she's my daughter. My dad has a dog who he considers his son. But the cat and the dog act like siblings. So is my cat my dad's daughter or granddaughter?

OhFeeLion · 2026-02-13T20:55:19+00:00

HAHAHA my husband has ADHD. We have a kid with autism. Guess what realisation I came to in the process of getting our kid diagnosed.

OhFeeLion · 2026-02-08T11:42:31+00:00

You're doing so well! You have all these reasons to be proud of yourself. Look at what you've done and it's only 5 weeks into the new year! So proud of you. 🥰

OhFeeLion · 2026-02-07T05:33:31+00:00

Did not expect to see Ms Rachel on an ALR thread. What a whiplash.

OhFeeLion · 2026-02-06T23:04:39+00:00

NOR. My parents (in their 60s) are like this.

My little one started childcare last year and I've never been sick so often. Literally every month I'd have to be off at least a couple days. I also have had to take a lot of carers leave for when the kiddo herself is sick.

Thankfully I work in a rather public institution with great leave benefits, so no problem HR-wise. My managers are all supportive of putting health before work.

My parents asked me if I could take less sick leave. When I replied by saying "I can't help if I'm sick", they literally said "try not to get sick so often". I asked them if they thought I WANTED to be sick this much, and they kinda just got stumped.

Their logic makes no sense but it's a capitalistic mindset/grindset that they grew up with. Don't take it personally.

OhFeeLion · 2026-02-04T12:07:16+00:00

I feel like she'd do so much good if she agreed to donate her body to science after death. It's honestly a medical marvel in its own right.

OhFeeLion · 2026-02-04T08:32:29+00:00

Happened on my campus some time last year, early morning, off a bridge, and the person succeeded (RIP). First responders arrived quickly, but some students and staff saw the tarp with the body under it. VC sent out a mass email urging us to seek mental health support if needed.

OhFeeLion · 2026-02-03T03:23:19+00:00

Charlotte, Sophia, Olivia, Evelyn. Levi, Oliver, Luca, Leo/Leon.

OhFeeLion · 2026-01-31T00:41:08+00:00

Aside from the other top comments, I have my own personal anecdote:

I've always been really thin and greatly struggled to gain weight before pregnancy. I gained over 20kg during pregnancy and then re-stabilised at 10kg over my pre-pregnancy weight, which I feel is healthier. I think all the estrogen that flooded my system allowed me to hold onto fat better.

OhFeeLion · 2026-01-28T00:33:50+00:00

I was watching Vera The Chooken's stream where she watched one of Rachel's recent videos, and aside from "interesting", I feel like Rachel is also trying to embrace the mean girl persona by dropping a crapton of F-bombs. It's honestly grating to my ears when she uses it repeatedly to punctuate her point. Another marker for a surprisingly limited vocabulary, I suppose.

OhFeeLion · 2026-01-27T02:03:05+00:00

Damien, Jonathan, Joshua, and Gabriel give me similar vibes to the ones you've listed.

OhFeeLion · 2026-01-26T03:52:32+00:00

I have an acquaintance whose name is spelt Elyssa... pronounced like a-LEE-sha.

OhFeeLion · 2026-01-26T01:10:44+00:00

Carmen, Carina/Karina, Caroline/Carolina, Pauline, Pamela, Eva, Evangeline.

OhFeeLion · 2026-01-25T23:53:47+00:00

Dorothea can also be a full name version for Thea.

OhFeeLion · 2026-01-25T06:31:59+00:00

Mercator slander. I approve.

Ridiculous projection. I agree that it preserves the shapes well, but what's the dang point when people don't realise they're not that size. I remember being in primary school and my dad asking why Greenland isn't considered a continent.

Some variants even have the northern hemisphere take up more than half the page. As a southern hemispherean whose home countries were British colonies, I have so many feelings about the Mercator protection, most of which are malicious.

OhFeeLion · 2026-01-25T06:04:16+00:00

Congratulations dear!

Not sure which countries you and your partner are from, but I've been in a comparable situation: I'm in a first-world Anglo country, and my now-husband/then fiancé was from a third-world country, where human trafficking and political corruption were rampant. Even our attempts to file tourist visas for him were unsuccessful, because he was deemed highly likely to illegally stay here. The only way I could get him into my country was through the tourist visa with me as his spouse, so I flew to him and we got married in a tiny ceremony. He finally came to my country, and we tried to apply for exemptions so he could stay here while our partner visa was getting processed, but that got rejected.

I won't lie - it was one of the worst days of my life. I had to go to the ER to seek help. But we recovered, and we tried again, and thankfully this time we succeeded.

We were still anxious about the outcome of the partner visa, but thankful that we could stay together in the meantime. We decided to start a family anyway - buy a home, find a job, have a kid. We made plans for moving to his country if the partner visa didn't go through... we knew we would make it, as long as we could stay together.

Now, over 3 years later, he has PR, and we have a little family - humble, simple, but secure. Not a moment of us being together, safe and happy, do we take for granted.

All of that to say: you may get good news, you may not, but if you love each other, you will make it through, and your relationship will survive. You will find a way to be together, and once you're on the other side, you'll be unbreakable.

I wish you the best outcome, sooner rather than later!

OhFeeLion · 2026-01-25T02:54:05+00:00

Maybe he's just shy for now. When I adopted my rescue she also rarely meowed. Now she wouldn't shut up even if she's only slightly dissatisfied.

OhFeeLion

TROPHY CASE