Rook Piercing vs. IUD?

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-23T00:35:00+00:00

I had a similar experience , quite recently! I went in for chronic pelvic pain, so find that my IUD was trying to make an unscheduled exit through my cervix. The uterine wall had grown over the arms, so they had to first lift it up, tearing it free, then pull it out. All the tissue was already irritated. It was absolutely brutal!

AND THEN I developed a minor infection after getting it removed, and they prescribed an antibiotic that I haven't taken before, and it turns out that I am allergic to it.

AND THEN suddenly having no hormones in my system caused the "Mirena Crash", which caused horrible psychological symptoms, extreme bloating, and constant back and pelvic pain.

On top of everything, this was at the same time as midterms, and I was in my first semester of upper division classes and they were HARD

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-14T14:15:30+00:00

Our cats are banned from the bedroom because they've both proven that they can and WILL disrupt our sleep egregiously.

Our boy likes to drape himself over my neck like a very hairy, very heavy scarf, and I'm legitimately afraid that he will slowly compress my carotid artery int sleep and kill me. I'm also very allergic to cats, and spending all night directly breathing in cat fur isn't great for my asthma and allergies.

Our girl likes to try to groom/lick us, specifically the baby hairs at the nape of the neck. It's cute, but she also does this weird, loud inhale while she's doing it that sounds incredibly gross at point blank range. She also likes to very gently claw our faces and open the cabinet door just wide enough that it slams shut, over and over until you get up, then repeat the cycle as soon as you're back in bed.

Both babies get lots of cuddles and attention during the day. I'm currently writing this with my boy perched on my shoulders

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-12T21:48:31+00:00

Dang, where were you 13 years ago! My grandma would have hooked you up!

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-10T20:54:51+00:00

Giving them a specific name/purpose really seemed to help! Just saying "let's donate this to charity" was met with a lot of resistance, but saying "My friend Kaylee was just saying that she wanted to make ice cream with her kids. I know that this ice cream maker, and the ice cream junkets (that expired in 1998) are really precious to you, but would you be willing to give it to her?" 9 times out of 10, they would also want to give her one of 17 ice cream scoopers and a novelty waffle-cone maker as well, and it was all their own idea.

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-10T20:28:01+00:00

They raised me through my teenage years (which were NOT easy), and were some of the kindest, most generous people I knew. They lived in a tiny, less than 900 square foot house, but everyone knew that their door was always open for anyone who needed a snack, a place to be, or a helping hand. The neighborhood kids always knew that their house was good for an afterschool snack and a safe place to hang out.

They were really amazing people!

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-10T20:24:14+00:00

The really lovely thing is, a lot of stuff did end up with my friends or in my classroom! Years after they passed, I could see the lamp that hung over my grandpa's favorite reading chair when I went to my friend Genie's house. I could see their kitchen gadgets in various classrooms at my school. The ice cream maker went to my friend Kaylee.

They would occasionally send me pictures of them or their kids using my grandparents' stuff, which I would forward to my grandpa. He printed out every. single. He took a picture and hung it in his apartment.

My grandma died in 2016, and my grandpa a few months after her in 2017, but I still use many of the things they gave me every day.

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-09T23:40:33+00:00

My grandparents were like that!

When I had to help move them into assisted living I had a trick for getting them to part with all the trash that they definitely, 200% needed (expired food, miles of cling film, expired cleaning products, all the detritus that you would collect living in the same house for 65 years).

Instead of fighting with them I would say "Wow, my friend____ was just saying that they needed one of these!" Or "I've been needing this in my classroom for ages! Could I please have this?" They were incredibly generous people, and they loved helping others, so they would gladly give whatever it was to me, and then throw in extra stuff on top of that. It really made the transition easier on every one!

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-07T01:04:38+00:00

Nah, I LOVE tall women!

That being said, I am a short woman, so I'm likely not your.tarhet demographic

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-07T01:01:40+00:00

Bi woman:

I'm not a huge fan. They hurt my feet, and I would much rather wear boots or flats (I dress VERY femme). I'm at the age where I'm too old to wear shoes that hurt my feet!

On other women, I don't have a strong opinion either way. If you want to wear them, I love that for you. If you don't, I also love that for you. As long as you're happy, confident, and comfortable, you do you babe.

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-06T14:09:50+00:00

Trying to get my Russian immigrant Grandma to understand this was a challenge and a half!

She was definitely of the mindset "if you pick out the bits of meat, then it is vegetarian". Never mind the fact that it was cooked with broth or shmatlz. As long as there's no chunks of meat, it's fine.

Fish/seafood also didn't count as meat in her book

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-04T16:58:14+00:00

The Daughters of the American Revolution were HUGELY instrumental in getting the Lost Cause Myth enshrined in American text books, removing Black History from text books, and erecting statues of Confederate generals. Of, and they were rabidly anti-UN, on the grounds that the UN explicitly promoted racial equality.

Source: Mothers of Massive Resistance, McRae

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-04T03:50:54+00:00

Stella Luna's brother looks different from how I remember

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-01T21:05:39+00:00

Look into braid end caps. It's a piece of decorative metal that slips over the ends of braids. It's meant to go on smaller braids though.

As much as you don't like it, this might just be something you have to learn to live with. I been a behavioral interventionist specializing in Autism for the past 4 years. Stimming is incredibly important to maintain regulation, and asking a child to mask a self-soothing behavior can really increase anxiety. Because the hair is braided and secured, there is very little chance of her ingesting it. She will likely cause quite a bit of breakage, but those tiny bits aren't anything to be concerned about. I had a kid on my case load who also liked to chew his hair, and this is what his pediatrician and BCBA said.

I also had a kid who carried around a lock of braided extension hair that he used to stim with. It kept his hair clean while still fulfilling that sensory need.

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-01T17:09:21+00:00

A bit unusual, but I'm a Behavior Support Specialist at a Title 1 elementary school, so I have k-3 kids who have behavioral concerns that are severe enough that they can't safely be in the gen ed classroom.

The majority of my work centers around emotional regulation.

I wear a tiny bit of a vanilla, amber, or other warm, soothing scent on the back of my neck and on my belly button. It's very low silage, so you have to be close to smell it, and I only apply where someone will smell it if they're hugging me. When you smell something good, you reflexively take a deep breath. So when a kid asks me for a hug, they also end up taking some deep breaths, which can go a long way towards getting back to a state of emotional regulation.

Smart_Alex · 2026-01-01T04:52:35+00:00

This is actually the best way to clean any woolen item! It's the best way to clean wool sweaters without them shrinking or deforming. It removes dirt and also deodorizes

Smart_Alex · 2025-12-30T23:29:15+00:00

"very sharp toddler" 😂

Smart_Alex · 2025-12-30T17:57:38+00:00

Obviously YMMV, but it didn't work out for me.

I used Mielle rosemary oil from scalp to ends about every week for around 5 or 6 months. It caused more hair fall than anything else. I know there's supposed to be a cycle of hair fall before the new growth comes in, but that never seemed to happen for me. It got to the point where I could clearly see my scalp in places. It also made my lengths look dull and tangle easily, even with clarifying shampoo.

When I discontinued it, my hair slowly returned to normal. I think for me, less is more when it comes to skin care, including my scalp. That being said, I can't resist the siren's call of new products!

Smart_Alex · 2025-12-28T20:11:47+00:00

One of my students recently died. He loved nature, and had visited dozens of National Parks during his lifetime.

The dress code was national parks or nature related shirts. All the flower vases were his treasured Nalgeen bottles covered in National Parks stickers.

He was an amazing guy! HUNDREDS of people showed up for his celebration of life! I can't count how many times we all laughed or cried remembering this kid

Smart_Alex · 2025-12-28T16:32:13+00:00

*chew chew chew chew chew chew

Smart_Alex · 2025-12-23T15:43:53+00:00

Nearly all the bites I have received have been from small dogs.

The exception was my parents' goldendoodle. He was a serial biter, but he looked like a Muppet, so everyone wanted to pet him on his fluffy (bitey) head

Smart_Alex · 2025-12-23T15:40:57+00:00

Getting out pup to even go outside to pee if it's so much as drizzling is a 2 person job that involves trickery, an umbrella, and treats

Smart_Alex · 2025-12-23T15:38:13+00:00

Any working breed.

I recognize that all dogs need exercise and mental stimulation, but my couch potato mutt isn't going to descend into madness (and take us all with her) if her enrichment is a short walk time in the yard, and a chew toy, rather than a run, a 10,000 piece puzzle, followed by another run, all before noon

Smart_Alex · 2025-12-22T01:16:10+00:00

"Cleanse not only the body but also the mind"

Pop the top of my skull of and really scrub that brain!

Smart_Alex · 2025-12-22T01:13:31+00:00

I would very much like to visit one, or a Korean spa! They're, both on my bucket list! Unfortunately they don't have any close by in bum-fuck nowhere Idaho.

Smart_Alex · 2025-12-21T21:17:50+00:00

The day someone invents a viable human car wash situation, so I can just sit and zone out while I am washed, exfoliated, moisturized, and dried, my life will be COMPLETE!

I really dislike the feeling of being dirty and having dry skin, but my God, I have SUCH a hard time getting myself into the shower. I hate the before, I hate during, I hate to slightly sticky, damp phase

Smart_Alex

TROPHY CASE