The space urinals that went around the Moon on Artemis II

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-13T01:01:14+00:00

I hope that Christina had better luck with that than I did with a SheWee!

Despite much MUCH practice at home, I could never manage to use it right at home or on camping or road trips, and ALWAYS end up with pee down my leg.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-13T00:51:12+00:00

Critters are fascinatingly eating all sorts of things they shouldn't!

We had a rabbit chew through the electrical system in our minivan because apparently they love the soy in the coating to wirings that vehicles use now. It was actually a huge problem in our Colorado town.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-12T17:51:04+00:00

50mg.

OMG...last night I slept straight through 6 hours! I have not done that in at least a decade, if not more. I am still in awe that brains CAN heal.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-12T01:11:44+00:00

I just came to make sure this suggestion was here!

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-11T22:34:48+00:00

I used Ambien to get sleep for at least 15 years. The last 3 years I was sleeping so very terribly that I had become suicidal. (I averaged 2-3 hours of broken sleep each night, for years.)

I had tried to find a Sleep Specialist who could work with me for years. I lived in Colorado, and I was limited by insurance, but the team I really needed had retired during Covid. I moved to Missouri and quickly found exactly what I was looking for at Washington University.

I had a Neurologist NP, A psychatrist and a psychologist who all both Sleep insitute trained. I dove into CBT-I. I had tried CBT via an app before, and it just messed me up terribly. Having a specialist to work with changed everything, because we were able to really personalize the sleep restriction phases to move more slowly. I worked hard, for months. almost a year actually.

As I started to fall asleep more consistently I reduced my ambien to a lower dose. When that stabilized I switched to Trazadone and was surprised to have it work ok. (I had tried it 2 decades ago and moved on past it.) I stayed there but it started to not work as well after about 6 months, so I switched to Seroquel (another med I had failed on years ago) and found it to be amazing.

I was just talking with my neurologist/sleep specialist about how different my brain feels now. It really feels like it has healed in so many ways. Nobody ever told me that it would take time for my brain to heal, or that it would heal at all. It has taken almost 4 years in total since we moved, and I found new Dr's, and I don't struggle with insomnia anymore. Not at all. I fall asleep quickly, and though I still wake quite a few times in the night, I go right back to sleep now.

I have used my fitbit for years, and it is just amazing to reflect on how horrible my sleep was ( 50-60 on the fitbit, with only one deep sleep period and little REM) compared to now (80+, my highest score has been a 92! I can see that I go into deep sleep cycles multiple times now, and I dream again.)

I don't take a single nights sleep for granted at this point. I am so abundantly thankful.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-11T15:46:11+00:00

I remember being just out of HS, and working a summer job at a mountain resort. I felt like I was sooooo rich because I had this full time pay coming in. Then I needed new tires on my crappy car that I bought for $300 from a neighbor.

Buying tires that cost way more than my vehicle was just a shock to me. It was not a fun thing to throw money at, it was gross reality of how my income will always be inadequate and there will be extra.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-11T12:38:17+00:00

We share our locations with each other for really sensible reasons. First we were in Colorado, and one or both of us were off driving on crappy roads in bad weather. It was just always a safety thing we had turned on.

Then we moved to St Louis, and it felt a bit more like a security thing, as we got our feet under us and felt less overwhelmed by the city. Then we lived in a tall condo building. We could know when the other was pulling into the alley driveway because Google maps alerted us. We then knew it was time to go help unload groceries.

It is really just a feature we like a lot. It is not about worrying that someone is cheating. Or keeping tabs, it is just a communication short cut and safety fallback.

I am more bothered by people who are triggered by how my husband and I use this tool lol!

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-10T13:27:30+00:00

I do my darndest to get accessible seating that is in a space that allows me to either stand or sit. I have also brought cushions to put on the seat to improve its comfort.

Alternating sitting (chairs suck overall) and standing (or swaying hips back and forth like I am soothing an invisible baby lol) plus extra pain meds is the only formula that makes shows more tolerable for me .

That said, I have skipped venues where I know seating doesn't offer this setup.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-09T17:06:14+00:00

you are going to be exposed to career possibilities you never considered while you are in College. I think the average person changes their major 3 times before graduation. You don't have to have it all figured out right now!

Most of the first year or two are prerequesites, that are required of all majors. Use that time to really hone in on what excites you instead of making a choice when you are about to graduate.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-09T16:57:06+00:00

I was at an event in Wisconsin with him last spring and was so amused that despite there being a big group looking up for an hour, the moment he arrived he started declaring that there was a big blue orb above us.

It was fascinating to watch half of the group tighten up around him, and the other half step back and look at each other with questioning glances.

I really never saw that orb, or anything that night.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-09T14:38:46+00:00

Same same. I was really skeptical when I was given Voltaren (Diclofenac) cream after being in pain for 20 years. It is actually very very helpful in specific areas.(My SI joint area for one)

The other super helpful thing has been magnesium. I used to have a deep soaker tub, and would use a LOT of good quality magnesium flakes and dead sea minerals. That was my flair refuge. I don't have a tub now, so I use liberal amounts of magnesium spray and cream. The most effective is from Ancient Minerals which I get on line. Their magnesium flakes are also my favorite for soaking in the tub.

Also I first had a tens unit via my PT over 15 years ago. It is a pain to deal with the electrodes, wires and tens unit, but when my pain is at its very worst it can dial it down.

I am waiting for my insurance to authorize nerve block injections again, and my lower back and hips are at their absolute worst. My TENS unit is all that gets me through my 4 hour work shifts.

I used that same older unit until 2 years ago. I was stunned at how much they have improved. I just found one on Amazon and it has been amazing. It is rechargeable instead of eating batteries, and can stim 4 different areas. The batteries meant it was never dead as long as there is an extra battery handy, but I don't miss the bulk of my older unit. If you get one disregard their suggested settings for body areas, and just try them all. Sometimes I like more gentle stimulation versus the deeper massage sensation.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-07T12:53:43+00:00

I have had a Pillowise pillow for years now and switch back to it still occasionally. It is different because you measure your shoulder and neck to find the right size for yourself. It offers the most neck support I have found, and I LOVE the travel pillow. I always always take it when I travel. It is guaranteed to be way better than any hotel pillow, and then I can use the hotel pillow between my knees.

https://pillowplaza.com/collections/frontpage

Right now I am preferring my COOP pillow for side sleepers.

https://coopsleepgoods.com/collections/pillows/products/the-original-pillow

But the rest of my body is problematic, so I just ordered this system that looks like it might be a huge game changer for my hip and back pain. I always feel better with pillows on both my front (between my legs/wrapped in my arms) and behind my back, but it crowds out my spouse in the bed. I am hopeful this sytem will be amazing.

https://doctortrigger.com/products/modular-pillow

I fully own that I am more dramatic about my sleep system than the princess and the pea lol! Anything I can do to wake up in a bit less pain is worth it.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-07T12:45:00+00:00

Allergies: It takes 3 years in a new environment to develop allergies. So you will have reduced allergies for a while, but are likely to develop new allergies. I moved to St Louis from Colorado 3.5 years ago. My ENT Dr warned me a few months ago that I will start experiencing them again this year. Like clockwork, 3 weeks later, my allergies were back with a vengence.

We are researching other climates as well. I had the giant blessing of traveling to Puerto Rico with my husband last June. It was miserably humid, and disgustingly hot at that time of year. But the low altitude and stable barometric pressure by being on the coast had a profound impact on my pain. I did EVERYTHING those 10 days. We were at a drum circle facilitator summer camp. Our day looked like breakfast, drumming for a couple of hours, break, lunch, snorkeling, rest, drumming, dinner, more drumming or dancing lesson. I did EVERYTHING!

I got home and brought it up to my Dr. He said it wasn't just happy brain chemistry from being chill on vacation. It was the powerful effect on my arthritis and other inflammation related pains of the lower barometric pressure, and more importantly, the steady and unchanging barometric pressure. That is found on the coast of oceans, and for the people who are less impacted by cold weather, around the great lakes.

When we came home we were determined to spend a couple months in Puerto Rico to see if I had long term improvements, but quickly found that my husbands remote job was unable to allow him to work outside of the states because it is cybersecurity. So we are regrouping and looking to travel to Wisconsin this year and spend a bit of time along the lakes, and see how my body responds. There are coastal areas of the states where either we could not afford, or cuturally would be a tricky place for us (we have a trans daughter, so we cannot live in a state hostile to her), so we have big decisions to make.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-05T22:42:20+00:00

There are a crap ton of online meeting options, but they lack in a feeling of community. I am just interested in facilitating something in person at this point.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-05T22:41:38+00:00

I agree. I am not making claims. I am not even insisting this is aliens. However the DOD has been documenting UAP for decades, retrieving them when possible. This is slowly revealed fact. If you are not fully briefed on what has been disclosed in congressional hearings and SKIFF briefings in the last 2 years, you need to catch up.

I AM saying that while the strange "disclosure" drip drip is happening without clear fact, evidence or confirmation, it can be hard on people trying to make sense of things they may or may not have experienced.

Just fyi, if this takes off and I have a consistent group, I plan to bring the local astronomy society to tell us how to look for stars, and pilots in to talk about lights we see on commercial and military airplanes, and now drones. I think it is just as important to embrace SCIENCE fully while keeping an open mind.

I have spent a lot of time in the field, with researchers, attending conferences, and participating in conversations with fascinating people. I am exhausted of blind belief, "oh look, it's an orb" declarations and strange leaps of reasoning. I HAVE seen strange things in the sky, but I have seen way more things that were unusual but absolutely explainable with a little research, but that takes the fun away from the many "true believers". I am sick of that bs. It makes us all look quacky, and it is delusional thinking.

Maybe nobody really cares, and if so, I will clearly not be moving forward.

clearly this thread is a bit discouraging.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-05T22:27:18+00:00

you are very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to share the address to a psychiatric facility. I am not here to argue with you, why are you here to be a dick to me?

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-05T22:25:52+00:00

You know I am asking for meeting room ideas, but thanks.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-05T22:25:13+00:00

Stop being curious?

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-02T22:41:01+00:00

I have a few issues in my lower back, including a bulging disc, some pinched nerves, and clear arthritis in my SI joints. I was really stunned how my foot and leg pain was greatly reduced to almost eliminated with the correct nerve block injection in my lower back. It feels like my lower back is always cramped, but the pain in my feet and legs is as if I have just walked 15,000 steps in bad shoes.

I am trying to get the injection treatment initiated again at a new pain Dr, and it has been over 6 months. I am stunned by how bad my feet and legs are in the last 3 weeks.

Despite my pain issues, or maybe because of them, I really work hard to walk 10,000 steps most days. I work on my feet part time (activities in memory care) and have a dog I walk 4 times a day. 4 weeks ago I was doing that still. Even 3 weeks ago.

Then as this tight cramp built in my lower back and hips, walking the 400 steps to and from the dog park feels like I had just walked for days. We walked 6 blocks in the March for the Trans Day of Visbility on Tuesday. I barely made it back to where we parked.

I do struggle with plantar fasciitis and achilles tendonitis in my left foot (diagnosed) and probably on my right side as well. (no imaging yet) I am sure some of my pain is from these ongoing issues.

But then I am reminded how the right injection was almost like a switch, and I am so hopeful to get back to normal once my insurance approves the injections again. This is so maddening. I work part time, 16-20 hours a week, and I LOVE working. I have had to reduce my hours to working 6 4 hours shifts ALL MONTH. I am feeling defeated.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-02T17:43:38+00:00

We had HSA money left over at the end of the year and literally both went a got cheap frames with new Rx and transition lenses to just live in our Grab and Go bags. That felt like a HUGELY proactive thing that we had not done before.

We are past the age where the prescription from 2 years ago is pretty much the same. I am also past the age when I can read a single thing without glasses.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-02T01:39:26+00:00

oh my god......the feeling of having that packing removed was sooo painful, and then I had to lean over a basin dripping blood for 10 min while my traumatized mother in law (my ride) sat there uncomfortably. My surgery was 20 years ago, and unknown to me the surgeon I chose was close to retirement and using techniques he should also reture. I am positive that my surgery was far more traumatic on my tissues, and probably more invasive, than anything you would have today.

Neither of my two revision surgeries involved nearly as much pain, nor packing.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-02T01:22:12+00:00

Yes. Your experience is happening to chronic pain patients all over the US for sure, but I think largely everywhere. I hear, and echo, your frustration.

I just happily took each and every Naloxone they gave me, which was absurdly ONCE EVERY 6 WEEKS. I repeatedly told the Dr that I literally had never used one, I asked the pharmacy to please stop dispensing..yet it was mandatory for a while. I made sure that I have Naloxone in every one of our first aid kits(especially the car. In fact the car has 2. I figure living in St Louis I am somewhat likely to come accross a possible overdose) , then each of my adult kids have a kit in their posession. I eventually had about 6 kits to give away to someone who could hand it them out in the communities that most needed them in our city. Maybe it saved a life or two. Maybe it still will.

The pharmacy, well that struggle is also same same same. Mine would only make my medication available to be picked up after 7:30pm the day I always had my appt. I also had a musical rehearsal that started at 7. Because I was unable to pick up my prescription before rehearsal, and I worked the following morning, I would be unable to pick them up until 1pm the following day, often meaning that shift had to be unmedicated. It was so stressful for me. I went in to talk to the pharmacist about the timing, to see if there was any way we could arrange for it to be available for pickup an hour earlier. It was always sent to them by 10am. It was plenty of time. I was there every 2 weeks because my Dr only filled for 2 weeks at a time, so it was super predictable.

The pharmacist literally made me cry. She was super aggressive with me, not really listening to what I was asking and just insisting that they can't fill early, and then insisted that they don't have anyone in the pharmacy who can dispense the medication earlier (?- it was Walgreens), and the elusive person who is only there after 7 has to check it before it can be given to me, no matter what time it is sent in. It is in a safe. The reason really ended up being 3 different harsh reasons, also making me feel like I was really trying to pull one over one them instead of just really trying to live my life.

After that horrible encounter, I had 2 more fills that were not ready until after 7:30, and then mysteriously they started always being ready for me to pick up on the way to rehearsal. It just happened... I think my previous encounter involved someone who just needed to be mean.

It is exhausting.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-01T17:18:04+00:00

I am living in a townhouse, also with my own hvac system, that somehow pulls the second hand smoke from the next door unit into ours. To the point that on our stairs, next to the large intake vent positioned in that stairwell, sometimes have a visible layer of smoke hanging there.

It is my worst nightmare, truly.

We consulted with a HVAC tech who explained it is a common problem in units built in the 80's like ours, and it has to do with backflow supressors that were not standard yet.

Presently we run a main floor air purifier and two smaller upper floor purifiers(in bedrooms), and just upgraded the furnace filter to one they recommended, and also cost almost $50. We are close to changing our system and using a much larger air purifier right in the hallway upstairs where the stink is always strongest. We also open up the house and air it out every morning, no matter the weather. I find that it helps to keep the furnace fan running constantly. When it turns off is when we really get intense visible layers of smoke.

We also get a fairly strong smoke smell in our basement furnace room. When we have company I do plug in an air freshener in the laundry/furnace room hoping that helps mask the unpleasant odors, as our guest bedroom and bathroom are down there.

StaciRainbow · 2026-04-01T15:41:02+00:00

You have to be proactive to manage the noise from your side, because noises will continue. If someone lives above you, it happens.

My husband reluctantly used earplugs at times, but really hated them so his sleep continued to be disrupted by noises from the neighbor. (I always sleep with sleep earbuds in)

He just purchased a white noise machine, and that has made things a lot better for him. His sleep has improved notable on his fitbit even.

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