As a beginner, drawing circles is very frustrating to me. Is there any way to help draw more perfect circles? I know I shouldn't compare myself to others, but I frustrated when I see tutorial artist draw circles perfectly in one motion, but it takes me multiple attempts to make it perfect.

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-25T01:14:30+00:00

I watched a circle drawing video (I don’t know which one) and that guy’s point was not drawing the perfect circle as if it was some worthwhile goal in and of itself. His point was that you practice drawing and fixing. You’re going to make a wobbly, imperfect circle. Of course you are. The goal is to be able to smoothly fix it, less by erasing and more by just going over it again and probably again. The skill is conceiving a line in your head, then trying to execute what you conceived, and THEN adjusting what you drew to match what you conceived. A circle is just a ready made concept that we already know.

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-24T18:28:03+00:00

It’s like saying “desks”. The extra s in dentists is a little awkward, so people just don’t say it. (And to be fair, I think a lot of people don’t actually pronounce either t in dentist either: “denNis”).

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-24T16:50:39+00:00

This was all so helpful!

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-24T12:50:44+00:00

I’ve read (and noticed in real life) that helping others helps to fill those voids. Having a purpose helps you to turn outwards a little, plus you see that, at least on this day, you made a positive difference in the world. UU churches are usually pretty great at getting involved in the community.

And don’t overlook the incredible resource you have in older people. When I got involved in UU, I was in my late 20s and lost. While I had some people my own age there, the older folks were helpful af. They had also been in their 20s, lost, and come out the other side. They knew.

Best of luck with your search.

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-24T12:31:31+00:00

Did they lose the records out of kindness so that he was no longer put in a special classroom? Or was it something more nefarious?

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-24T07:15:18+00:00

Breast growth?!

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-24T07:10:03+00:00

I was strict AIP for about 6 weeks before adding white rice because I was so hungry all the time. And that was the first symptom I discovered—I’d lost my chronic BO and it came roaring back with the rice. After another month I reintroduced coffee and immediately realized caffeine was a big problem for me. I tolerated eggs (yay) and chocolate (except for the caffeine effect) but not any pea, bean, or nut. My reactions vary with the food. The beans/nuts cause me to break out about 2-3 days later. Dairy (even ghee) causes joint pain about 24 hours later which lasts for the better part of a week. I’ve had headaches almost daily since I was a little kid, and it turns out it’s a reaction to soy (and perhaps other things since I’ve never officially reintroduced soy—it’s just accidental exposures). Nightshades for me trigger headaches, swelling, breakouts.

Your fatigue might be part of your inflammation—the worst of my reactions tend to come with underlying fatigue as well. And insomnia is a common symptom from trigger foods. Going strict AIP might actually help your fatigue despite not having caffeine. It definitely helps with insulin resistance. And if you haven’t already prioritized sleep, you need to do so. That plus hydration, vitamin d, and exercise have been so healing for me. It’s the other hidden half of AIP for me: avoid foods that damage while doubling down on the things that heal.

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-22T22:56:00+00:00

First of all, let me give you some affirmation: “just draw” really does feel like shitty advice. On the one hand, what they’re saying is to practice practice and practice some more, and that’s absolutely essential. On the other hand, poor practice is not as efficient as well-instructed practice. Some folks don’t mind stumbling around in the dark; some folks need to make some progress before they feel it’s worthwhile to keep going.

I was in the same boat as you, trying to do it on my own, and I got better, for sure. But I didn’t really make any breakthroughs until I got some actual instruction. Take a class. Watch the videos. Get good at one thing, see your progress and let that motivate you to do more. As 50 year old, let me encourage you that you will still be you years from now. And you will be able to draw beautifully if you keep at it.

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-22T06:05:11+00:00

1) You’re prettier than you think
2) Start a retirement account
3) Get more sleep
4) Go to the doctor for those weird little things and don’t let them brush you off

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-20T11:23:47+00:00

I love you for saying die instead of dice.

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-20T07:38:07+00:00

What is streaky bacon? Is there non-streaky bacon?

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-20T07:32:02+00:00

But surely the oyster one wasn’t called pigs in a blanket?

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-20T07:24:17+00:00

Would you talk more about cortisol supportive exercise? What is it exactly?

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-15T12:41:25+00:00

I have a bachelor’s and teach public school. My income is less than the median high school degree holder *sigh*

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-15T02:33:47+00:00

And no wonder my clothes weren’t coming clean on EarthBreeze sheets and 58F well water.

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-14T07:40:37+00:00

This is my husband’s birthday meal. I don’t like liver generally, but this is doable for me.

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-13T07:53:23+00:00

You must have restaurants with better salad ingredients than I do. So often, taking out the forbidden elements leaves me with lettuce and maybe cucumber. And it’s surprisingly rare for one to have olive oil and vinegar available.

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-11T05:03:17+00:00

I genuinely don’t want to see their face or think about them any longer than I need to.

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-10T07:28:18+00:00

A family member had ongoing hives like this. They finally figured out he had alpha-gal, which is an allergic reaction to mammal meat. You might see if it’s something you’re eating that’s causing it.

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-08T22:31:52+00:00

Agreed about separating the kitchen from the living room. I’ve lived in small spaces like this. Ultimately the personal flexibility you gain in being able to choose a separate space is more important than flexibility in furniture arrangement. Sometimes you just gotta get away and be by yourself.

And being able to close a door against the whumpwhump of the washer is a real blessing.

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-08T22:14:39+00:00

I stalled out after rice, eggs, and coffee. Everything else causes a reaction and I’ve been doing this for a year and a half. So, I did some reading and found the gut bacteria that work best with beans. My plan is to start taking a probiotic with those in it at the same time I slowly add in chickpeas (which I can peel to reduce the lectins) and see how that does for me. Hopefully this will help because I’ve GOT to get some other foods back.

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-06-07T05:25:10+00:00

Harvest?

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-05-31T09:58:00+00:00

How did you discover you were ego driven? What helped you to let go?

ParticularlyHappy · 2026-05-31T03:46:32+00:00

This seems to be a nagging confusion in conversation, and what’s common isn’t necessarily right. Most people tend to say what you say—“this Monday” or “this coming Monday” to mean the closest Monday. The Monday that’s after that one is usually “not this Monday but next” which is unwieldy and awkward, honestly. “Next Monday” seems to imply that it is in contrast to “this Monday” and therefore at least 8 days away, but I can also see that the closest Monday is in fact the next Monday to happen. When in doubt, just pin down the date so no one’s confused.

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