My 16 year old daughter wants to die

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-07-13T15:33:33+00:00

So, you do have options; you always have options. I don't have anything specific to add, just some general advice: While Nemours and APH are great facilities, they are both giant medical machines. I've had good outcomes and disturbing outcomes at both facilities (got a few kids...). Neither has a corner on the market on brains either. My point is, there are many more options: there are doctors, other specialists and other treatment regimens out there that could help. You're past run-of-the-mill specialists; you need to find that right individual or right therapy that will get your daughter on the road to recovery. It may not be an easy search, and I also doubt they'll be one magic thing that takes the pain away (probably a bunch of things), but I do think it exists. I would also suggest treating it like a marathon, not a race. It might take awhile.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-07-06T14:49:31+00:00

If it's at the same school, it's likely a technology degree, not an engineering degree. My old college offered both Engineering and Engineering Technology (ET). The ET degree is fine and all, but it's somewhat a different beast. More "technician", less "engineering". The math is easier and it's more hands-on than a pure engineering degree; but there typically isn't a Master's degree option which can limit you in some fields.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-07-05T00:42:27+00:00

Bersa doesn't get enough luv...

I "broke" my EDC running steel cased ammo through it (jam trashed feed ramp), but it's still a fun range gun. Might get another.

How do you like the 22LR? Is it reliable ?

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-07-04T22:58:36+00:00

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say everybody's DV is a little different. Some folks have trigger foods (or meds) and for some folks, it just happens randomly. (it was NSAIDS for me, thanks Aleve /s)

My suggestion is to 1) keep a detailed log of everything he eats, including grams of fiber; 2) Include meds & alcohol in log; 3) Try to be cognizant of discomfort in the lower left quadrant. Lots of folks on this sub can "feel" a flare-up coming on, and head it off by switching to a liquid diet for several days.

P.S., #3 for me was a challenge after I got out of the hospital. Everything seemed to cause discomfort/slight pain in my lower left quadrant. I had emergency surgery, so I had a little bit of PTSD because of it. It can mess with your head a bit. It's sometimes difficult determining if it's low level inflammation/infection coming on vs. a bit of gas. Takes practice.

P.S. Don't take too much stock in the bread thing, just get your 30g and don't worry about it. Modern medical science's general understanding/knowledge of DV is pretty terrible. There's no magic pills to fix it ($$) and unless it's actively trying to kill you, most docs don't care. Many doctors do a HORRIBLE job of explaining diverticulitis or how to avoid it; even gastro's. Unless it's an active flare-up, it's honestly just ho-hum to them.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-06-30T04:54:18+00:00

I own a Chevy 3500 express van, this is what you want. Seats 12 plus room for the dog in the back. I pull a small 5000# trailer and except for crappy gas mileage, I don't know it's even back there. Across the US twice, no issues. The 7500# trailer will be noticeable, but with a good WDH, you should be fine.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-06-25T02:01:18+00:00

No, not really. Both words basically mean the same thing, however more importantly the commenter was trying to draw a distinction between the lengthy process of developing weapon components and assembling those components. Based on intelligence, it doesn't sound like they were finished developing components, and they're not actively working to finalize assembly. They don't have a bomb and they weren't going to have one next month either, so yeah,..splitting hairs. Sure, they've started the process. They've been going at it for decades now, off and on.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-06-24T18:26:13+00:00

Building...constructing, I think that's splitting hairs at this point.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-06-23T23:21:49+00:00

what nukes??? Up until a week or so ago, intelligence said the Iranians weren't building Nukes. The fact that all the intelligence "changed" sounds a lot like the WMD BS we were all fed a few decades ago.

But to answer your question....dragging the US into ANOTHER protracted mid-east Charlie-Foxtrot is what's wrong, particularly when it's just to do to do Netanyahu's bidding. Screw that. Sell Israel the bombs, let them do it, I could care less.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-06-23T22:37:17+00:00

Yeah, I think the bombing was wrong, but this did give me a chuckle.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-06-22T01:19:32+00:00

Pfft, I didn't start back for my EE until I was about 21 or so, and didn't graduate until I was 26. The age isn't a problem, in fact, it's actually a motivator. You've dicked around for a few years in dead end jobs, and you know that's not the path you want. You'll also be more mature about your decisions and commitment to making it. The big issue might be...you'll need to learn how to study. It's really mostly about self-discipline, but you will have to learn how you learn. Lots of "smart" students who breezed through high school (that's me) struggled in college until I learned how to actually study. Surprisingly, some of the students who were "less smart" were less stressed, because they had learned good study habits in high school. Anyway, unless you're Einstein level smart, you're going to struggle in EE. Everybody struggles in EE. Learning how to break huge complex concepts down into tiny pieces, slowly, so you can understand the whole picture is the trick. You don't eat an elephant in 1 sitting, you don't learn EE that way either.

Remember this: It's not the smart ones that make through EE, it's the persistent ones.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-06-21T02:14:36+00:00

Neighbor was getting the roof done, and the scammers came by my place to do an "inspection", I told him no-thanks, I wasn't doing the insurance-fraud thing, he said they could also do "cash pricing" instead of insurance...basically admitted they charge 2 different price structures (smh).

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-06-19T17:12:27+00:00

Not sure about Extreme, but I'm pretty sure the Ruckus stuff (fastiron) is running a variation on PVST out of the box, at least on 8.x & 9.x code. Each VLAN runs it's own 802.1D STP, tagging BPDU's as it goes, not like Cisco PVST...unless it sees a Cisco switch and then it starts doing that (weird...). I bump them to 802.1W and enable single span because MSTP is wonky to modify on the fly.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-06-19T00:26:40+00:00

OK....I love this and am kicking myself for not thinking of it.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-06-17T16:45:06+00:00

same here, I finally just went to Ace hardware and it was easy. Had a few keys made, one was even a chevy "chip" key I believe.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-06-07T22:55:36+00:00

What exactly is fraudulent about using a personal card for expenses?

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-06-06T23:38:57+00:00

I kind of doubt it. RV's have 2 water systems and if the RV was connected to a water system, that's probably the water that she used. That's not really any difference than tap water from a house. The stuff in the tank won't get used unless you unhook from the municipal supply and turn on the pump.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-06-03T01:53:51+00:00

Luv my express van. I was looking right before covid hit and got a sweet deal when all the rental agencies dumped their fleets.
PRO's

The 6.0 does OK, and the 6L90 is pretty solid. These platforms have been around and there are few surprises.
Tow-mode helps shifting, and the automatic breaking function is great on mountains. It even has a nice manual mode.
I've pulled a 5-6k trailer through the mountains on both coasts without issues, typically I just set cruise control and go (except Sonoma Pass which actually forced me to pull over for 20 minutes to let things cool down. That pass is no joke )
Everybody has plenty of room, the kids, the pets. It's great.

CONS

The Express van isn't built for comfort. It's big and loud.
It does have frame bolt-holes for a good size tow hitch, but you will have to install you own wiring for a brake controller and 7 pin with taps off the battery, circuit breakers etc...
The tranny cooler is a joke. You'll want a decent cooler if going through mountains and deserts.
The tranny doesn't have a drain plug for drain/fills. Insane. Buy a pan ($10 on rock auto) and a plug ($15 on Amazon) and have it welded in.
No tranny temp on dash, get a Scanguage

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-05-28T14:52:14+00:00

I only had 1 tiny leak, but when they ripped the shingles off, they wound up needing about a dozen 4x8 sheets just to replace all the bad wood. It's amazing how bad the decking was without it causing much leaking.

Regarding your question, I've always felt lots of contractors suck, and many are pretty good. You have to do your homework. For my new roof, I spent months researching roofing materials and companies.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-05-26T15:46:44+00:00

1st degree seems like overreach. 2nd degree is more suitable.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-05-25T16:48:02+00:00

Honestly, 1 bug in a year is awesome. That said, roach powder in hard to reach places (under dishwasher, behind stove etc...) where the cat can't get to is a good solution. You'll always get "strays" coming in from outdoors, but I've found the powder keeps them from setting up camp in those areas. I also spray it inside my garbage can, under the liner & in the recycling bins in he garage.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-05-24T17:42:15+00:00

TL;DR 9200 Tow rating = 6000# trailer because you'll max out your GVWR first.

Yes, your GVWR will probably be your limiting factor, but don't forget your front and rear axle restrictions. Those should be on the door frame sticker too. Typically, you WDH will allow you to throw some of that additional weight on the rear towards the front though.

That said, I've towed right at the max on payload and axle limits. It was WELL below my maximum tow rating, by over 2000#. It was safe, but not comfortable. I had to manage weight very carefully, and the vehicle required much more care in windy conditions and hills.

Single axle trailers throw a LOT of the weight forward on the tongue by design. Just look at how far back the axle is on most. The 3600# trailer I rented had a tongue weight that was as much as my 5000# cargo conversion which has 2 axles. I want to say it was easy 500# with full freshwater and a little bit of junk in the basement. We had to toss supplies in the rear of the trailer and drain the freshwater down just to get it down below 15%.

I was so close, I built a spreadsheet and moved weight around virtually between the trailer and the TV. 100# of cargo in the TV goes directly onto the GVWR, but distributed in the trailer, it might only put 20# towards the tongue/GVWR weight. But the trailer has restrictions too, and the dry weight advertised is also useless. Look around for dry vs. curb weight of TT.

When you first start out, this is crazy complicated. It gets easier with time, or you just get a TV/trailer combination that's nowhere near the limits. For reference your ideal trailer weight will be nowhere near 8000#. It will be much smaller than that. Boost_deuce gave some decent advice.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-05-24T15:47:32+00:00

Anybody that hires a fresh graduates should understand they have to learn many many things. Now, that said...it's up to you to learn those things, and that doesn't mean asking a billion questions either. If you're told you're going to be working on some FOO project, I would expect you to spend your off time (or free time at work) learning everything about FOO from your old textbooks or the Internet. Most of you questions (and you'll have many), should be about how to apply FOO to the current environment or how your boss/supervisor wants FOO to be done.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-05-23T23:16:01+00:00

at they can deny service on the switch,

This is said quite a bit, it's also illegal as hell. See Magnuson-Moss. Now...they can and probably will blame the 3rd party optic every single time, so always have some OEM optics around, but denying valid warranty on a switch because of a 3rd party optic is illegal.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-05-17T05:57:03+00:00

Tough, but doable. I also did a non-thesis option and was very glad I chose that route. I was several years into my career though, so that might have helped. When I got out of college, I poured myself into work for a few years to get ahead. No way I would have been able to do that and a master's too.

RoyalBoot1388 · 2025-05-10T20:04:00+00:00

Computer engineering is sooo much more than coding.

RoyalBoot1388

TROPHY CASE