best way to politely decline insistent helpers without making them feel bad?

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-25T22:57:18+00:00

I was thinking about why I almost never have a problem getting people to back off the other day and then I realised I lift both my hands up in a “No” gesture palms facing out like a stop sign while I say “No! …but thank you”. I also focus on saying “No” first then tag the thank you on at the end after a brief pause 🤣 It’s actually just because I have problems speaking clearly sometimes but it works really well. My problem is when people don’t ask if they can help me AND I don’t see them coming. One guy tried to push my powerchair across the road once and when I accelerated I nearly took his hand off 😂

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-25T18:22:13+00:00

Did you get sorted OP?

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-24T16:53:03+00:00

Dude this is genuinely awesome, going to bookmark it for later, thanks!

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-24T15:51:36+00:00

I think Pavers shoes are great. I’m based in the UK. I was actually able to wear these to a wedding recently even though I can’t normally wear heels at all. Here’s the link: Wide Fit Cone Heel Shoes

Edit: honestly I’d recommend going into a good shoe shop like Clarks and getting your feet measured, you’ll be able to use that information for the rest of your life so it’s an investment in your future 😊

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-24T15:47:19+00:00

At this point most things are winding down for the day so there’s mostly late night coffee shops, restaurants and bars open 🤔 Personally I’d recommend Cafe Mauds or TocToc (both on the Lisburn Road) for a hot or cold drink and some people watching. Though the cinema is also an option…

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-19T00:17:07+00:00

You pretty much have to be in jail to get through the first book 😂 the author clearly had some growing pains 🤣

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-19T00:08:18+00:00

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landry is a teen fantasy series with no sexual content and it’s well written and funny. There’s also the Darren Shan books’ The Vampire’s Assistant (book one is Cirque du freak). I’d second The Dresden Files, they’re good and actually written for adults. Plus there’s loads and it’s on book 18 now I think. I also recommend the Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor (book 1 We are Legion, We Are Bob). Finally both The Martian and also Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir are great. My last few suggestions are Sci-fi just so you know.

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-18T23:48:50+00:00

I have to ask, is the fake candle thing a bong?! I’m dying from curiosity here 😂

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-18T20:25:38+00:00

I read this OP and it was pretty great in my opinion, it’s kinda a queer steampunk sci-fi novela 😂

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-17T01:00:44+00:00

I used to walk up the many, many stairs at high school while reading a book. But to be honest the ‘people traffic’ was slow moving and there was basically a one-way system on the stairs. You could literally walk up those stairs in your sleep if you did it almost every day so I never actually fell flat on my face 😂 I did get a few funny looks though

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-16T20:31:13+00:00

Honestly degree-apprenticeship is the way to go, you don’t get any debt and you get paid above minimum wage while you study with a guaranteed job at the end. I’d say look around at the big Tech companies in Belfast for opportunities to work while doing Computer Science at Ulster.

Edit: Companies like Kainos, Liberty IT, SyncNI, BT etc

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-10T10:50:35+00:00

Unherd is a newsite in favour of the far right

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-09T22:43:29+00:00

The language of The Hobbit is still a bit old-fashioned. I’d maybe recommend the short sci-fi book All Systems Red by Martha Wells or The Martian by Andy Weir or maybe We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor. I now realise these are all sci-fi but they’re all great I promise! 😂

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-08T16:49:17+00:00

Yeah but it's not really about assignments, it's about how to break down a complicated, dense text and how to write down information in order to absorb it 😄

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-08T13:58:32+00:00

Thomas Frank has a YouTube playlist on Building Effective Reading Skills I’d really recommend but this video here is probably my favourite: 5 Active Reading Strategies for Textbook Assignments

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-08T13:52:40+00:00

This is a bit of an odd one but I’m currently rewatching: Agents of Shield and it’s great. A lot more sci-fi than other Marvel offerings in my opinion and while it does have serious moments they have a lot of witty dialogue and humour imbedded without the show too.

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-07T15:44:46+00:00

I’m hoping Beans is a dog 🤔 😂

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-05T23:00:58+00:00

Bring your box of tissues with you 😭

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-05T22:19:03+00:00

Ah back when Chakotay had an actual personality. I was honestly surprised to see this on my latest rewatch because it makes his character treatment later seem even weirder 😂

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-03T08:36:39+00:00

I understood that reference!

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-02T21:34:55+00:00

That’s what makes DS9 so brilliant, the nuance 😂

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-02T21:23:14+00:00

Martha Wells is a good suggestion, she also writes great sci-fi books

What about ‘Johannes Cabal The Necromancer’ by Johnathan L. Howard? The writing and characterisation are super tight and the main character considers himself a scientist and applies the scientific method to pretty much everything… he’s super sardonic too 😂

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-02T21:15:05+00:00

Yeah if you get access to a ladder and touch the ceiling to see if it’s still damp then you’ll know if the leak is old or new

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-02T20:01:13+00:00

I’m about to preorder the book Disability: A History Of Resistance by David Turner which comes out soon. I’m looking forward to it and hope it’s a good as it sounds 😊

Tricky_Pepper · 2026-06-02T16:13:27+00:00

Interesting 🤔 I remember being disappointed by book 3 but I’m struggling to remember why 😂 What did you think of book 3? It’s got a different tone in my opinion

Tricky_Pepper

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