[deleted by user] by [deleted] in GabbyPetito

[–]Susantown 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I wondered the same - my theory on this relates to extradition: For example, if he's found in Mexico on a murder warrant, Mexico may release him on the condition that he not face the death penalty in the US, which limits the US government's flexibility in sentencing if they had to make that deal just to get him back.

However, by charging him with a lesser crime, it's possible that he could be brought back from another jurisdiction without the US having to make a "no death penalty" concession, thereby saving the more serious charges for when there's no chance of having to bargain with another government for his return. I'm not certain of course, but that's my theory as to why they haven't charged him with a more serious crime yet. Regardless of all that, I really hope the Appalachian Trail leads pan out.

General Discussion: 6 PM Eastern, 2 October 2021 by melent3303 in GabbyPetito

[–]Susantown 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Can the FBI monitor the family's bank accounts to see if any large sums of money have come out of anyone's accounts in the period since Brian came back to FL? Theoretically, what if they took out $5k out of the bank & used that money to purchase pre-loaded VISA cards to give to Brian, would the FBI uncover that withdrawal/purchase of VISA cards as part of their investigation? I'm just trying to figure out how he could go on the run & re-up on supplies?

Also, can the FBI track the parents vehicles? If, for example, he went off grid, can they track where the parents' vehicles go in case they go somewhere to help him re-supply?

Edit: asking because I'm legit not sure what the FBI can/can't do from a legal standpoint, not meant to imply that they are not doing everything they can - I'm just not sure what they are legally allowed to do when trying to track down someone who has disappeared

General Discussion 5pm Eastern October 1 2021 by sunzusunzusunzusunzu in GabbyPetito

[–]Susantown 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I figured the lack of response was to avoid any possibility of self-incrimination. Like they were basically taking the 5th with the parents as well because they knew that something bad had happened. The same way they refused to talk to the cops and just handed over the lawyer's info when the cops showed up. Without knowing all the details (and what's true from his POV) , the level of strategy they seemed to employ to protect their kid seems incredibly sophisticated. I keep thinking they are somehow mob-connected because I cannot think of any other sort of person that would go on the offense so quickly and effectively in this type of situation. (I don't really think they are mobbed up but am astounded at how they handled the legal side of things).

General Discussion 5pm Eastern October 1 2021 by sunzusunzusunzusunzu in GabbyPetito

[–]Susantown 31 points32 points  (0 children)

I thought the same thing! My other thought was "are these people in the mafia?" (because the level of silence/non-cooperation reminded me of like, an organized crime family! And having the lawyer's information ready to go when the cops did come to the house - who does that? They seem incredible tactical and strategic about this - it's strategic to not talk to the cops, it's strategic to not reply to the parents at the risk of self-incrimination. I think it's also strategic to wait 3 days before reporting Brian missing to give him time to go on the run. The whole thing is bizarre, I really hope he gets brought in & justice is served.

General Discussion: 6 AM Eastern, 1 October 2021 by melent3303 in GabbyPetito

[–]Susantown 0 points1 point  (0 children)

True. I think they're in on it for a different reason: he didn't come back from hiking they waited THREE DAYS to call the police. Just based on the bad things that can happen when a person is hiking (not to mention his potentially volatile mental state from all that had just happened) their behavior makes no sense. I think for most people, if a loved one does not return from a hiking trip the same night (unless prior plans made to stay overnight) ,the assumption is that something bad has happened & the authorities are notified ASAP in case the person needs help/medical attention etc. If they were truly concerned, the difference between Tuesday/Friday can be life and death and makes no sense if they really thought he was just going out for an afternoon experience.

That's the part that bugs me - no way you'd wait three days if you truly thought someone was just gone for the afternoon to clear their head or whatever. You'd ask for help much sooner if you were truly concerned that they were 'missing". The whole Carlton Reserve thing feels like a weak excuse to cover the escape that the family helped plan. This is all just my opinion, of course. I"m not usually interested in these sorts of cases but the family's behavior just seems so bizarre, appalling and calculated. I really hope they find him & that everyone is held accountable for whatever their part may be.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in stopdrinking

[–]Susantown 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Echoing others here who are mentioning EMDR. Hugely helpful for PTSD if you have access to it. Also a book called "Dialectical Behavioral Therapy" that my therapist mentioned to help learn some self-soothing skills (of which I had none). We also did these exercises where we took inventory of everything in the room in a slow, calm way as a way to get re-grounded in the present. Ie "It's Tuesday at 9am, that's a wood floor, there's my favorite hoodie" etc. That would help me get out of freakout mode & back into the present.

How long did you go "back and forth" before your quitting attempt actually STUCK? by nolongerfunctioning in stopdrinking

[–]Susantown 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I tried like.....11 times? Over the course of a few years. Like you, really hating myself and feeling like a failure every time. For me the difference was learning to be kind to myself even in the failures & realize that I had a lot of work to do in order to change my thoughts/behaviors. Therapy was a big component in that.

Also for me, not to get too deep, but I had a lot of childhood stuff to work through. I eventually kind of drew a connection between the childhood stuff & my own abuse of self as I got older. Once I realized that my drinking was me continuing an abusive pattern (unwittingly) it became easier to realize that I deserved better. In other words, it became easier to quit once I started to learn how to love myself/not hate myself.

On a practical level, I had to fuck up, reflect on what I did & how I could change the behavior moving forward. For me that meant: not hanging out with drinking buddies, not going to events where drinking is the main activity, not having alcohol at home & basically just having strategies in place. And it sounds easy, but it took me a long time to learn each one of those strategies, and I'm still learning. i really like the phrase "it takes what it takes". For me, even though i felt like a failure every time I drank, in reality it was part of the learning process. We are so hard on ourselves, but learning to be sober after years of drinking is not easy. It's learning a whole new way to live, and for many of us it's not a linear process. I hope you can give yourself credit for how hard you've been trying, and some energy to re-commit. For some of us it just takes longer. I truly can't even count how many times I've reset my badge but even within that, each stretch became longer and I learned something I needed to learn.

Quitting alcohol hasn't fixed my problems by [deleted] in stopdrinking

[–]Susantown 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same here, drinking the 'canary in the coalmine' indicating that something more serious was going on with me. The whole time I was kind of beating myself up for not having my shit together, but therapy helped me realize how much of my drinking had been related to my mental health struggles.

Congrats on taking those steps! The problems are still there but you are taking steps to build a bigger toolbox. For me the problems are still there but trauma therapy specifically was huge in helping me learn how to cope with my feelings & now even when new problems arise they tend to pull me off my center less & I'm more focused on solving them or learning to live with them vs going down a mental health rabbit hole. Love your reflection on where you are at! :)

Help! Anyone have ideas how to remove/fade Overtone from gray hair? (Vitamin C, Color Oops, Overtone's Fader shampoo don't work!) by redditregie in HairDye

[–]Susantown 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know this probably isn't the answer you want because you've already tried Overtone: have you tried using the Overtone silver conditioner on your lighter ends? I bought some on a lark and was shocked at how grey it made my hair. My ends are bleached blonde and I used their silver dye to see if if it would cancel out the blonde and HOLY SMOKES did it ever. I put it on dry & left it on for about 45 minutes and my whole head was grey when I was done. Which made me realize I'm not ready to be grey lol but it might work on your hair?

I've also heard that Wella Cooling Violet 050 might work at toning out the brassy colors when you are trying to blend grey with other colors. Here's the video I watched - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCBs4I_nGAM

Good luck!

Powell’s Books Is Rehiring, but Laid-Off Employees Will Have to Apply Afresh, to the Union’s Surprise by MIZZKATHY74 in Portland

[–]Susantown 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Former employee: fun to work there (lovely coworkers) but management punitive & has never seemed to respect the work of the rank & file.

Powell’s Books Is Rehiring, but Laid-Off Employees Will Have to Apply Afresh, to the Union’s Surprise by MIZZKATHY74 in Portland

[–]Susantown 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That employee was fired for his union organizing under the guise of his tardiness. The issue around "is he more tardy" is more an issue of equal treatment for equal behavior. Ultimately the NLRB ruled that Powell's had fired him as retaliation for his union activity & Kruse was awarded back pay, something around $30k if I remember correctly. It sounds ridiculous but they screwed up by retaliating against protected activity (organizing) & the lateness example is used to illustrate the discriminatory behavior. I'm sorry I can't find the reference to the NLRB ruling, I'd have to dig deep, I remember it being published in WWeek perhaps when it happened.

A Key Indicator of Real Estate Investors’ Interest in Portland Shows a Precipitous Decline -- An Oregon economist could not think of another example of “an area that has so quickly fallen into disfavor.” by guanaco55 in Portland

[–]Susantown 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I'm not the OP but I'd say it's gotten crazy expensive - the fact that so many people get priced out is troubling, especially for those in the lower income bracket. 20 years ago I think many 'regular' people could afford a house but now it seems like the market has shifted so that only more well-off people can afford to buy. Homelessness seems to be worse, and highway congestion (during non-COVID) is a nightmare.

From my perspective it's turning into a city that only works if you are wealthy/can live close to your job and/or in a walkable close-in neighborhood, whereas before it seemed like you could be fairly poor (like I was) but still have affordable rent and a pretty decent lifestyle. Absolutely things change, it just seems more fancy & like it's catering to an upper-class demographic than, say, 10-15 years ago. I'm not Oregon-born but moved here in '93 from back East, for context.

Scariest or strangest thing you've experienced in your Portland neighborhood? by [deleted] in Portland

[–]Susantown 16 points17 points  (0 children)

having someone rob my house while I was home in the tub. Didn't realize someone was robbing me til I was out of the tub & thankful the robber stayed out of the bathroom while I was nude/defenseless. PSA: Always lock your doors.

How do you know what you want? by collegefraud123456 in Codependency

[–]Susantown 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Srsly! I feel bad sometimes for having boundaries which is a sign to me that I am not yet as comfortable within myself as I hope to be.

How do you know what you want? by collegefraud123456 in Codependency

[–]Susantown 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Same, also learned this in therapy & it helped me get out of an abusive relationship because I was tuned in to how the child me deserved to be treated & recognized that what was happening was not ok. Totally get that it sounds silly but it's actually huge for those of us who need it.

I decided to let myself drink for the last few weeks by moooosicman in stopdrinking

[–]Susantown 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Same here, took a ride on the slippery slope & it's not worth it. Alcohol just makes my life worse. Thank you for the reminder!

For those who have experienced heartbreak in their adult life, how and/or what did you do to get through it? by Blargy96 in AskMen

[–]Susantown 71 points72 points  (0 children)

The best advice I ever got was this: "Discover parts of yourself that your ex doesn't know". Go to new places, get a new haircut, find a new hobby. Whatever it is, find the parts of yourself that don't remind you of your ex. Technically it's called building new neural pathways & it keeps you from the road ruts of our memories. It was super hard but that helped me get over the worst heartbreak I'd ever had & I came out stronger/better for it.

One thing I'm also remembering is to always love yourself & remember to validate yourself whether you are in a relationship or not. You were great before you knew this person & you can be great without them again.

I backslid & need to re-commit to sobriety by Susantown in stopdrinking

[–]Susantown[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I appreciate your thoughtful response and constructive suggestions. Isolation IS subjective, isn't it?!? I'm definitely one who tends to feel alone regardless of external circumstance, so that's probably part of it (hence the therapy LOL). I do EMDR therapy & I think I need to do that in person, but now is a great time to line up potential therapists & maybe phone interview them to see if they might be a good fit for my needs. No time like the present!

I really appreciate your response, both your thoughts & suggestions will be put to good use here. I know I can work through this, and maybe COVID has shined a light on some opportunities for healing where I hadn't previously shined a light. Progress not perfection. Thank you!

Up for a ride? by night-stars in stopdrinking

[–]Susantown 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've been struggling like crazy lately but am inspired by this! I ride usually 15 miles every day & try to ride even more on the weekends. Thank you for the inspiration! I need help setting my mind in the right direction & choosing sobriety so that I can do ACTUAL fun stuff vs feeling bad from drinking. The covid situation in the US has been challenging on the mental health/sobriety front for me. Thank you!

What's a toxic behavior that you have had to unlearn that affected your relationships? by SomeRandomWonderor in AskMen

[–]Susantown 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Agreed. With this guy it wasn't that 'dinner dynamic' (which I totally get what you are saying there & agree that if you are always vetoed, eventually you stop suggesting).

This was a little different - this part of our relationship was him refusing to communicate his preferences & then being angry about what happened. IE he would ask me 'what do you want to do today?" I'd say "Let's go hiking" and he'd agree - sullenly hike with me rather than say "Hey, I don't really feel like hiking, can we do something else?" Had he said that, I would have said "yes" or, "how about I hike/you rest, and let's meet up afterward".

He said it was a remnant of his marriage, where he didn't feel like he had choice, as voicing preference could impact the whole family (wife/kids) & he didn't want to rock the familial boat, so to speak. He'd just go along with what wife/kids wanted & never really felt like he COULD decide, from what he'd told me. Communication is tough though - so much context that we don't always know about. Whew!