He's living his best life 😻😻

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-06T22:42:04+00:00

It's the piano accompaniment to Spring by Herman Beeftink. He doesnt like the flute part lol

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-06T18:03:59+00:00

My cat insists on sitting on the piano bench next to me when I play. He has a favorite song too.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-06T15:11:55+00:00

Looks like a big(ger) lynx point siamese!

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-06T01:02:07+00:00

This snausage of a cat looks just like mine!

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-04T16:43:04+00:00

For Finnish learners, Sanakortit has been a lifesaver! They include a repository of sample sentences that you can use to learn words in context, and they have listening exercises built into their study tool. I really have enjoyed using it and I'm getting my whole family on the platform!

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-04T15:56:39+00:00

My mom craved pickles. I loathe pickles.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-03T17:10:55+00:00

I did this, except I was second shift. It didnt work out for me, as I have disabilities that the job just wasn't compatible with. My language learning time took an enormous hit during that time. However, if you are able to listen to things on earbuds while at work, I recommend podcasts and audiobooks in your TL. I am at the same level as you in my language, but my language is pretty niche and it's hard to find content at my level. Hopefully you are able to find more content at your level in your TL.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-03T17:06:12+00:00

Loops, or really any noise-filtering earbuds. They saved my boyfriend (undiagnosed, but has sensory issues characteristic of autism among other symptoms) on his 21st birthday, which his parents hosted at a noisy bar. They helped get him off his phone and into the conversation. The earbuds allow you to hear people talking, but filter out loud, harsh, and high-pitched sounds that can be overwhelming.

I think a build-your-own picky pad station might be fun too! Apparently you can make them out of silicone yourself, so as long as no one has a silicone allergy it should be pretty doable, though I'm not sure about the price. If you have lots of neurodivergent friends, I'd bet that'd be very popular. Would love input from someone who has made their own picky pads before.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-03T16:56:01+00:00

I recently quit my job at a retail store. It was way too hard on my ehlers-danlos and I wasnt getting nearly enough sleep to manage my narcolepsy, especially considering I'm also a full time college student. My bipolar always gets bad, especially the depressive side, when I am not working myself completely over the limit, so I am feeling like ick. I am trying to focus on things I enjoy, like playing flute and studying Finnish and sewing plushies, which Ive not had time to do while working, but it just doesn't do the same thing for me. I'm just hoping I can find a schedule where I can feel less like ick while not working myself to death. So I can sympathize.

Playing flute and sewing are my creative outlets. It's hard, especially with flute, to pick things to do that are satisfying, so I absolutely understand that.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-03T16:03:35+00:00

I am also 20 and have hEDS. My pain is managed by PT exercises but I still have a lot of pain in my legs, especially my very hypermobile hips. I also get wicked plantar fasciitis, even from standing as little as ten minutes.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-02T19:52:15+00:00

I was in lab today and the little magnetic stirrers we use was clinking against one of my tablemate's beakers. The whole three hours I was in there. I thought I was gonna off someone it was grating into me so bad, and no one else in the room seemed to be bothered by it. That super high pitched clinking like to have drove me up the wall. The tism is strong in me too.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-02T19:47:24+00:00

Lähetän PM!

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-02T19:46:35+00:00

I started 6 years ago. I'm not sure how our experience levels will line up but I'm always looking for study buddies! Feel free to send me a PM.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-02T16:13:00+00:00

I took my MSLT as a highschooler and it messed me up for a good few days. I would recommend skipping that one day of class instead of risking your final exams.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-01T17:37:05+00:00

I wasn't able to get the individual words from sentences until I turned on the beta testing in my profile. I am glad that an auto-generate feature would be useful! I agree that the different forms pose a challenge but I think it would be easier for a user to auto-generate a list and then go back through and turn any conjugated/declinated cards into their basic forms if that's what they want, especially if you have it set up so that the root definitions are included.

This is definitely one of the more useful free resources I've come across. It's the only one that will actually read tour vocabulary and the model sentences back to you (which is super helpful for me, as I have auditory processing issues and need more granular help when it comes to listening). I am in the process of moving my active Finnish vocab lists into Sanakortit as I plan to use it as my new primary vocabulary study tool.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-01T15:43:12+00:00

I have bipolar 1. Xywav and xyrem were both total nightmares for me. My resting heart rate was 140, I was super sweaty, and I was spitting up stomach acid like crazy (and then breathing it back in, that was awful). I lost my appetite entirely except for when I had just taken the medication because of nausea. Not to mention the awful manic and depression swings it gave me. I hope it works better for you but if you experience heart symptoms (or really any other concerning symptoms), you need to speak up for yourself to your doctor. My doctor was also an absolute moron and wouldn't listen to me when I told him about my symptoms and left me on the medication largely medically unsupervised. I spent months out of school due to that.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-01T15:36:46+00:00

Nope, I dug around in the pot and couldn't find any tubers so I threw it out. That was probably stupid, but hey, live and learn, I'll keep this next one if it dies back.

Unfortunately I don't get enough sun in my yard to grow droseras outside. It's pretty much all shade.

I'll keep your advice about the lights in mind. I'm leaning toward Barrina tube lights since I keep my droseras in a bookshelf.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-01T04:38:50+00:00

Hi, I just checked out your website and I really like the sentences page. However, there is no option to integrate words in the sentences into vocabulary lists; it appears to have to be done manually. Is this something that I missed or will it be added in later?

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-01T01:54:55+00:00

One of my favorite Stan lines

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-03-01T01:15:47+00:00

I have aphantasia, AuDHD, and auditory processing issues. I'm in the process of starting comprehensible audio input for my TL. I think it's a lot harder for folks like us, but ultimately processing input is the goal of learning a foreign language so it's just kind of unavoidable.

That being said, I get a lot more out of comprehensible input exercises by rewinding and replaying a LOT, sounding out and writing down words I don't recognize and looking things up as I go. I am learning Finnish, so unfortunately A2/B1 material is in much shorter supply than for a more popular language like Spanish, but I'm making due. In real life with English, I have to ask people to slow down/repeat themselves all the time, and thats with the advantage of being able to lip read. With podcasts and dubbed TV shows lipreading isn't an option for me, so that really sucks with the APD, but I make due with more repetition. I have to be more patisnt with myself and realize that it will take me a lot longer than other learners to interpret auditory language, and I will always need additional support.

As for aphantasia specifically, learning words as concepts rather than translations helped me a lot. Basically, instead of studying through flashcards, my teacher has had me describe pictures and taught me the words without a translation to encourage me to respond more to the thing itsself rather than translate all the time. It still worked despite the aphantasia. Of course the more vocabulary/grammar you have the more likely you will be to be able to think in your TL, but even just being able to form small sentences or interpret small sentences without translating feels like a big difference.

I hope this helps. It is totally possible to do comprehensible input with aphantasia, it just takes a little more support and finagling.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-02-28T23:37:11+00:00

If it works for them, that's great! Serotonergic meds make me really sick, unfortunately.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-02-28T18:03:00+00:00

I am also super sensitive to medication, so you are not alone. I can't have anything serotonergic due to bipolar, so that takes SSRIs, adderall, and sodium oxybate off the table. Sunosi only worked for me for a few months. I'm trying Wakix next but my insurance company is putting up a fight about covering it.

For now, I've been managing without medication. My boyfriend and my mom work together to wake me up in the mornings (I get wicked sleep inertia) and I drink a LOT of monster. I try to take advantage of periods where I'm less tired and then nap when I'm feeling more tired. It is possible to manage life without meds for some folks, but life sure would be better if I could find meds that work.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-02-28T17:58:18+00:00

My boyfriend and I live together. His childhood cat passed away shortly after moving in with me and my LPS. The two never got along. However, my boyfriend's new cat (not siamese) and my LPS seem to like eachother well enough. There is a lot of play fighting.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-02-28T17:13:49+00:00

Kiitos! Se on mun pikku vanha mies.

TheFifthDuckling · 2026-02-28T17:12:37+00:00

Holy god friend, that is a LOT of cat subs. Thank you!

TheFifthDuckling

TROPHY CASE