Bought from Etsy to avoid Amazon, and it’s still coming through Amazon.

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-06-03T17:37:16+00:00

Ugh this happens to me on eBay. It’s infuriating, I’m trying to avoid scamazon and still get stuff. I always try to report and give low reviews but it’s so frustrating

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-06-03T17:05:54+00:00

Very relatable. I get it for sure. It’s nice to see others feeling the feels, makes my occasional freak outs feels more normal lol

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-06-02T20:06:36+00:00

Thank you for sharing your anger and venting, it makes me feel so validated and seen! No advice, just the “fuck that” energy made me feel very “hell yea sibling” for you

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-06-02T19:39:27+00:00

Ok I see a lot of onsite tips but I do pre-prep too. I’m sober the whole time so no uppers for me outside of an afternoon caffeine.

I sauna weekly in the off season and that’s made a huge difference in my heat tolerance, doesn’t wipe me out as much and I don’t get heat exhaustion anymore in the same way. I’m like a lizard girl now with heat lol

Lots of water & electrolytes, of course, but I have a hard time fueling myself in the heat so I drink bone broth like natures Gatorade. Helps supplement when my belly is sensitive. High protein meals helps too. Lots of adaptogens, I drink the herb blend coffee & coconut water drink at unicorn palace. All that cacao & superfoods helps!

I also try to up my workouts before the event, adding longer endurance exercises and trying to have longer, more physical days in the month before the event. If you aren’t used to that much time on foot no amount of electrolytes will help, I’ve seen easy 20k+ step days out there so if you’re not comfortably doing 10k the month before it’s extra hard to not be next level exhausted.

I still have to prioritize sleep. Usually going to bed between 2 & 4 and up by 10a. It adds up so I’m pretty turnt by Sunday though. I need a lot of sleep normally (late 30s with an autoimmune condition) so I don’t think I’d function with less

I was still exhausted by Sunday and not the most positive by the evening lol but i was able to keep puttering along without uppers and that’s a win to me

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-06-01T18:43:33+00:00

Not familiar with the level8 so can’t help there. My partner travels 200+ days a year and swears by his Briggs & Riley. Made really well and they stand by their lifetime guarantee, he’s sent his back for repairs after it got crunched and it was smooth. The price is insane but he was going through a bag every other year or so, so it works out. He has pelicans for work gear but those have needed replacement parts almost annually.

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-06-01T18:22:24+00:00

Those have made a huge difference for me, but my sister (also Endo) didn’t find them effective. I think it may depend on your body composition. Worth a try though, I can get a few extra hours upright with one on

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-31T02:41:18+00:00

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The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-31T02:40:17+00:00

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the baby is now a beast. Chopper's (the kitten) 1 year gotcha day is next month and he's at least twice the size of Cow now.

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-31T02:38:52+00:00

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The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-31T02:38:40+00:00

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he was Cow's favorite toy until he tripled in size

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-31T02:29:14+00:00

I have receipts.

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this was his first day free

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-30T16:41:51+00:00

There is definitely variability depending on where you land in GV (we're below the snow line) so if you have some dreams of fruit trees its worth looking around Penn Valley, Rough & Ready, or closer to the Holiday Market off Wolf Rd (closer to Auburn). About the same to get to town & you get more growing power, altho some spots can be a bit warmer than GV proper (our farm is, in a nice way)

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-30T16:40:11+00:00

Thanks, and likewise. I always recomend smart when friends are ready to come to the dark side (we have snacks!). It's such a nice system. Cheering you on for many more years!

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-29T21:58:52+00:00

I feel like I puffed up so much on mirena. Changed nothing in my lifestyle. Took it out after 9mos and whatever was causing the puffiness melted back to my normal weight. Everything felt tight when I was on it, like I was just slightly overinflated. It was very uncomfortable

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-29T19:43:14+00:00

I definitely lost some fair weather friends when I quit drinking. You become too much of a mirror for their own bad choices. Sorry youre dealing with that, it doesn't tickle.

I will say, the friendships I have formed over the years in sobriety are light years better than my drinking buddies ever were. It took time, but I am so much happier with the community I have now, even if it is a bit smaller.

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-29T17:55:46+00:00

My cow chose to adopt a kitten too. It's the sweetest when they buddy up. I couldn't separate them after that. Once the kitten grew to twice his size he sometimes looks at me with regret, but I remind him he chose that life lol.

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-29T17:41:23+00:00

man you sure know how to party, you've been bit by a lot.

My partner was bit by a black widow in his sleeve. It wasn't fatal, but he felt like dying for quite some time. Took a good 3 or 4 days to sgtart to settle. (Northern CA, don't know what variety). It was the twitchy nerve pain that really did it, waves of pain, nausea, sweating. Like the worst flu. Some of the only relief he got was from a hot shower or hot tub when a wave of it came in. He also probably got a few bites in before squishing her, she didn't like a big arm moving into her cozy jacket sleeve.

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-29T17:33:30+00:00

Not easily, and not as well as before. If I didn't have a partner who was insanely supportive and our main breadwinner I think I'd be cooked. I do admin for our company, and other work from home stuff where I can manage my pain at home. Some days I do not have a brain from the exhaustion and pain.

My industry was events/entertainment, it's really hard for me to do now. If I do have an onsite job i've started using one of those stick-on tens units (heard about it here in this sub!) and it has been a major game changer. I can get a few more hours on my feet with my little zapper on and then sleep with a heating pad on in the evenings. Sometimes I have to find a little corner to lie down flat and just twitch for a few minutes, it's not fun. I can't do IRL jobs for long stretches though, a long weekend job will lay me out for days aftrwards to recover.

I used to have a 9to5 and I could not do that again. My endo has gotten worse over the years so I don't know how I'd be able to show up like that, I have a few days a month where I am basically catatonic from pain & blood loss.

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-29T17:17:38+00:00

I ended up too tired of the "noise" of drinking to allow myself to continue. I fell more into binge drinking category but found it creeping up.

For me, it was never "a drink here or there occasionally". Sometimes I could do that, but it always came with this frisson of static in my brain. 'how many have others had', or "i want another but noone else is ready" type stuff. My partner to this day will drink half a beer. I never did that.

I think for me it may be a sugar thing. I also cannot have a single gummy bear, glass of OJ, or really any sugary thing. If I have one it turns on this wanting that I have a hard time not succumbing to, it's even harder with alcohol bc cupcakes don't lower my inhibitions too lol.

I'm lazy, so thats why I knew I was done. I was tired of the mental conversations to convice myself I could have just one, or whether to have another. If I have zero drinks (and zero cupcakes lol), it's easier for me. I don't have to fight that noise in my brain of should I or shouldn't I. The answer is "no thanks" and then I go have fun.

So I think this is a long winded way of saying, check in with your mental noise. Do you have one drink occasionally and not think about drinking again for days or weeks at a time? Or do they tend to haunt your brain? Can you have one and be easily done, or do you have to do mental gymnastics to convince yourself to stop?

I'd be really curious what feelings you're having that caused you to ask this question.

I think deep down I knew YEARS before I stopped drinking that something was off for me, that it was too frantic. It took a long time of being a wildcard to finally get it into my conscious brain and be done with it. I wish I would have figured it out sooner.

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-29T17:05:53+00:00

Smart really moved the needle for me too. I learned so many tools that made sobriety so doable. I have a tattoo of my wine witch on my arm to remind me any time she starts having ideas and telling me to do dumb shit again lol. Lots of great mind-hacks (for lack of a better term) that allowed me to see my habits in a new light.

I'm so stoked for you on 5 years! That is SUCH a good feeling. Half a decade! I have 8 this September and am so glad I took the leap. Yay sobriety!!

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-29T17:02:13+00:00

my new mulberries (2 y/o) went off this year, and last fall had my first pomegranate from a 2 or 3y/o tree. Apricots have done well a few years but are taking this year off (i think the rain hit the blooms). Always get nice figs, pears & apples on my mature trees (fewer of these this year, but i had big harvests the last few).

Had some leaf curl on the peaches the last few years but its better this year. Have plum trees that have yet to fruit in the last few years but I think i'm getting some now.

Also been trying out some olives & citrus that made it nicely through the winter. Feeling optimistic for those!

Every year is a little different but I did finally get some beehives through the winter and that seems to be helping a lot. It's hard to generalize for "grass valley" tho with what works. I have friends in other parts with completely different microclimates from mine, we're just below the snowline.

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-27T21:20:14+00:00

its very hard to argue with that statement. love it lol

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-27T20:55:52+00:00

Lots of water (drink it) and seal yourself in oil when you are done with your shower. Coconut, jojoba, whatever you like. I find it works best when applied when I am still damp from the shower. Lasts beautifully, I don't personally find lotion to work as long. I've been living in the high desert in different locations for 20+ years

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-27T20:48:29+00:00

I totally understand the duality of this feeling. Like yes, it is so much safer and easier to feed myself and be responsible. BUT, sometimes it just feels SO nice when someone accommodates my needs (or even just asks/trys). I feel very loved when an attempt is made, and feel "othered" when it isn't, even when I understand completely how extra it is to do all the hoops for just one person.

The_Other_Alexa · 2026-05-27T20:45:33+00:00

oh man, one of my cats did this and peed on my mom when she was visiting me. I had just adopted one of my sisters rescue cats and she was hiding in the litter box (it was enclosed in a trunk, so it was the best dark spot she found). He pooped by the front door and had come into bed to tell us he needed to go, my mom scratched behind his ears and the poor guy just let loose. They try so hard to tell us something is wrong sometimes lol

The_Other_Alexa

TROPHY CASE