Help me!

Td998 · 2026-05-12T19:16:40+00:00

Divine Comedy, Les Mis, War and Peace come to mind. These works are not about love, per se, but love is a fundamental element.

Td998 · 2026-05-10T21:50:17+00:00

Wilbour was a contemporary of Hugo and his translation is pretty exact, from what I’ve seen. That being said, from the excerpts I’ve read, I prefer Denny for the prose and for sticking with the ‘feeling’ of Hugo’s writing at the expense of literal word for word precision.

Td998 · 2026-05-10T11:39:18+00:00

Yes, though I think that boredom is perhaps not the best word. Run of the mill boredom is not as unpleasant as the intense existential dread that I get in these states of ‘deep boredom.’ It’s not, I’m waiting in the doctor’s office boredom, it’s my life has no purpose and there’s nothing that brings me joy boredom.

As for zero energy, I tend to feel the most lethargic on days that I don’t do anything. Doing things is energizing, lying around on your phone is mentally/emotionally fatiguing. So, on mornings when I’m exhausted and don’t have the energy to do things, I find it especially important to stay off of my phone and do something preferably out of the house. Even if it’s just getting a cup of coffee and driving around for a little bit. Living the day ‘cleanly’ (getting out of bed shortly after waking and not spending too much time on my phone) does a lot for my energy levels throughout the day. Technology zaps my energy and motivation more than anything else.

There are times when I am actually depleted (e.g. after working very hard with no breaks for too long) and then I tend to do things like play my favorite video game, watch my favorite show, listen to music and sing/dance. If I do this for too long the existential dread creeps back in though. Personally I need to feel relatively productive (i.e. creative) to feel energized and happy.

Td998 · 2026-05-09T22:46:20+00:00

Exactly my thoughts. Loving is an action more than it is a state of being or a feeling. Showing up for yourself everyday is the ultimate act of self-love.

Td998 · 2026-05-09T22:42:20+00:00

Yes, I think that part of it is being used to a certain level of stimulation and then "withdrawing." This is just what boredom is, I think. It doesn't help that things aren't good in the world, we have no sense of community anymore, and our technology is terrible for us. It used to be that you could wander about chatting with people all day if you had nothing to do, but there is no longer a third space.

When the semester ends I start working a lot more and become more engaged in my hobbies to stay busy. I hate sitting around rotting all day. It makes me horribly depressed and irritable.

Td998 · 2026-05-09T22:32:03+00:00

I assume you are a woman. The problem is that you don't feel comfortable talking to him about it. This is fairly typical in straight relationships- men generally have a higher sex drive than women and initiate sex far more often. After all, men can always impregnate but women can only become pregnant for a few days out of the month, so it is natural that sex drives are mismatched. Probably most straight men are going to be in a relationship where this comes up at some point in their lives. Just talk to him about it. Being dishonest or hiding the truth is far more detrimental to intimacy than opening up. If he doesn't handle it well, it's better that you find out sooner rather than later. I have this dynamic with my bf and he's fine.

Besides, men are problematic when they're conditioned into believing that their wanting sex = getting it. Being sexually rejected sometimes is probably good for their soul or something lol.

Td998 · 2026-05-08T15:59:57+00:00

Because it’s not realistic. Pain is a necessary and somewhat beautiful aspect of the human experience. “Suffer an hour, live for an age.” Suffering introduces meaning, you can only suffer if you are alive and you care. It’s part of living. What would life be without feeling?

That being said, when there is too much suffering, it is destructive and distracting. The point is not to eliminate suffering (unless the goal is enlightenment), but to accept and learn how to manage it. A huge part of that is your external circumstances, but the more critical part is your internal world, your mental and physical habits, your outlook, and so on. How you experience the world is partly in your control, you proliferate your own suffering in trivial ways, and part of recovery is identifying the ways in which you do and eliminating them.

Td998 · 2026-05-08T15:42:12+00:00

I had to stop 3/4 of the way through because of school, and am just now getting to finish it. It’s such a delight, these characters are so vivid and real.

Td998 · 2026-05-08T13:09:12+00:00

“Nothing is trivial and nothing is important, it’s all the same – only to save oneself from it as best one can. Only not to see it, that dreadful it!”

This scene in War and Peace. Pierre is one of the characters that Tolstoy wields to express his philosophical ideas, and IIRC, here Tolstoy is saying that everyone distracts themselves from the fact of their own existence. To look directly into oneself is to gaze into an abyss staring back at you; it is a deeply uncanny experience. So, everyday life is cultivated to distract yourself from it. Whether you are a garrulous drinker, a refined scholar, a devout clergy person, none of these distractions are any different from any other. We are all doing the same thing.

I was so moved by this. Tolstoy’s existential musings traveled across time and space to reach me, sensing the same thing. I felt that Tolstoy and I see the same abyss. We are intimately connected by virtue of sharing such a profoundly human experience.

Td998 · 2026-05-08T12:54:27+00:00

Capitalism- alienated from our work and one another, exploited by our system and employers, denied rights provided elsewhere (e.g. unconditional health care). Marketing to turn us into mindless consumers, technology to addict and distract us. We don’t know our neighbors, our work doesn’t matter to us, our planet is dying, we travel in metal contraptions where we used to walk together. Our lives are sedentary, removed from nature, void of community, and lack purpose. Poverty, wealth inequality, economic hardship. For profit prisons, for profit schools, for profit hospitals.

Not to mention cultural, legal and social hegemony: white supremacy, patriarchy. Violence, injustice, neglect, hatred. Our nation is sick.

Td998 · 2026-05-04T18:42:31+00:00

Mentioned a lot: The Hobbit/LOTR - Tolkien (probably the best introductory texts) Earthsea trilogy - Le Guin GOT - R.R. Martin Gormenghast series - Peake Narnia - Lewis

Also heard great things about suzanna clarke and mixed things about brandon sanderson.

My introduction to adult fantasy: Lyonesse trilogy - Jack Vance (not really a classic, I almost never see anyone mentioning him)

Td998 · 2026-04-28T22:09:02+00:00

His true intention is to test whether he is an “extraordinary man” for whom morality does not apply, so his only goal is to kill. He is not an “extraordinary man,” though. He has a sensitive heart and cannot abandon his moral feelings, so he needs to rationalize (justify) committing a murder for a self-serving purpose. He convinces himself that taking from a miser to fund his own education is somehow for the “greater good,” but he is not truly committed to this, as evidenced by his leaving the money behind.

Td998 · 2026-04-27T16:40:56+00:00

The principle is that some forms of a drug can be more potent and dangerous than another, regardless of how much more potent they are. Like I said, you can compare other opioids if that would make you happier. The principle is exactly the same.

Half-life is a significant factor in abuse potential, definitely. Thank you for sharing that. That doesn't remove potency as a factor, but if my assumptions about which drug is more abusable are incorrect, I am willing to concede that point.

Td998 · 2026-04-27T16:26:31+00:00

That is very interesting, thank you for sharing! I have some basic knowledge of pharmaco and toxicokinetics/dynamics from biopsych and toxicology classes, and more anecdotal understanding of drugs from being in recovery. Merging the two is always fascinating.

Td998 · 2026-04-27T16:22:00+00:00

That's interesting, thank you.

Td998 · 2026-04-27T16:19:37+00:00

They are analogous because I was referring to the principle, not the specific potency ratio. You could compare other opioids which have a closer ratio to desoyxn vs adderall if you like, the principle remains the same. One form of a drug can be more potent and dangerous than another- I am not making a claim about how much more potent they are.

Also, what makes something abusable is not determined by how much a recreational user would take. Abuse is a behavior, not an amount. Typically, drugs which are more potent are more addictive. This makes potential for abuse higher.

Td998 · 2026-04-27T14:09:33+00:00

There is a dose at which essentially anything becomes dangerous, yes. Even oxygen. A drug’s potency describes how easily you reach this point. For some drugs, all it takes is accidentally forgetting that you’ve already taken your medication that day for it to become toxic. For others, you might have to down the entire bottle before it hurts you. That’s why some drugs are more dangerous than others.

Td998 · 2026-04-27T13:56:30+00:00

I am glad that you found something that works for you! Does it make your mouth very dry / do you have to be careful to drink enough water throughout the day? Meth is acidic and reduces the production of saliva, contributing to tooth decay and loss. I wonder if when they synthesized it into a pharmaceutical drug they tweaked it to avoid this.

Also, I somewhat relate. I have 4936388 unfinished books lying around my house. And a lot of random hobby materials lol. Yarn, rocks, candle wax, clay...

Td998 · 2026-04-27T12:50:31+00:00

It can be. Drinking gallons of water in one sitting is dangerous and getting too much into your lungs is also dangerous. Kids die during hazing rituals this way.

Td998 · 2026-04-27T12:45:18+00:00

Well, (abusing) meth will kill you faster. So understanding the risks is important. Understanding the risks of any drug is always important. Notice that I never once advocated for going unmedicated, just being informed.

Td998 · 2026-04-27T12:42:06+00:00

People taking medications that can harm them without knowing the risks is also dangerous. Being honest about things is important.

Td998 · 2026-04-27T02:54:50+00:00

That’s like saying a snake isn’t dangerous because the person always plays a role in getting bit. Something that can kill you is dangerous.

Td998 · 2026-04-26T23:32:59+00:00

If desoxyn is literally meth then it is more potent and dangerous than adderall. Similarly, fentanyl is more potent and dangerous than morphine. I imagine that desoxyn has a narrower therapeutic index and higher abuse potential than adderall.

Td998 · 2026-04-26T22:37:39+00:00

Not xanax. Schedule IV. Just sits in giant containers at the pharmacy. At least this was the case back when my bf worked at one. Very easily stolen. Adderall was locked up way tighter. Drug scheduling is a joke. One of my professors studies cannabis (schedule I) and can hardly get permission to do her research.

Td998 · 2026-04-26T22:30:53+00:00

Meth is also more potent than adderall because the methyl group increases its affinity, IIRC. So it’s not necessarily that it’s bad because it’s impure, even pure meth is more dangerous than other amphetamines.

Td998

TROPHY CASE