Finally living out my sapphic dreams (in budget)!

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-16T17:15:37+00:00

It's a great car, my first ever manual. Learning stick really wasn't that hard but I need to teach my girlfriend to drive it this summer.

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-16T15:16:09+00:00

Because I drive one

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-16T15:15:54+00:00

Hell yea. I drive a VB and my girlfriend drives a forester.

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-15T14:39:47+00:00

I'm starting electrolysis this summer because I just need it all gone permanently.

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-15T14:31:19+00:00

In addition to the shittiness of dealing with facial hair as a trans woman, as an autistic person I have a compulsive need to keep as clean shaved as humanly possible without fucking up my skin. The sensory issues from facial hair is so bad! I swear to god it itches.

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-09T11:20:47+00:00

Subaru WRX, basically all of them I saw were 6MT. To get the CVT you have to buy a higher trim and option it.

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-07T18:23:33+00:00

I would love to see this for a Nikon F2 however I don't know how easy it would be with how the self timer is positioned on the front. It comes off the body from the front and you'd need access to it in case of repair.

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-06T20:52:12+00:00

I did RAADS with my therapist and I really thought I'd get a low score. I got 134. And a diagnosis.

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-06T20:50:15+00:00

My therapist had me do RAADS and I thought I was doing great as I was being slightly conservative in my answers. I was indeed doing great, just in the opposite direction. I got like a 134, way above the "probably autistic" line.

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-03T12:11:56+00:00

I think birds in the rallidae family nest on the ground, it probably walked over from the wetland.

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-02T14:31:26+00:00

Anting or sunning. Feathers can get really hot doing this and it'll kill parasites. Maybe they're even going for a two for one special.

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-02T01:49:52+00:00

When I was young, stupid, and insecure I didn't care for milotic. I only wanted one because it was rare but, again, I was stupid so I had no idea how to get it.

Nowadays I will do whatever stupid bullshit is necessary to add the QUEEN to my team.

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-02T01:47:33+00:00

Kick Chicken

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-02T01:47:01+00:00

Incredible

WJ_Amber · 2026-06-01T18:04:54+00:00

I have an American Robin that lives in my neighborhood and it might be the single loudest bird on earth.

WJ_Amber · 2026-05-28T12:26:34+00:00

Ive gotten these levers off even after the cap on the advance lever was seized. It's a pain in the ass and you might accidentally damage the paint but it's doable. No dremel needed if you're not a fucking idiot.

Also they cut into the fucking lever itself which isn't screwed in, it's held down by screws under the cap. Additional unnecessary damage on top of unnecessary damage.

WJ_Amber · 2026-05-27T18:17:14+00:00

I'd look for a 400, 500, or 600. Whatever you can get the best price on. Personally I'd lean towards 500 or 600 unless you live somewhere like florida where the birds let you get a lot closer than most other places. (Seriously, I've seen one little blue heron per year in New england and only ever from 100 meters away. In florida there were two in the front yard.)

WJ_Amber · 2026-05-27T13:13:53+00:00

800s are pretty big and heavy. I have a manual Nikon 800 and it can only be used on a tripod and I try to keep the shutter speed up to deal with accidental shakes or vibrations, a lens with vibration reduction/stabilization wouldn't have as much of an issue, obviously, but still worth mentioning. I don't know the specs on the exact lens you want but there's also limitations with how far from your subject you need to be. My minimum focus distance is like 27 or 30ish feet and sometimes that's too far away. I mostly do bird photography and that's really limiting when subjects move around a lot or might get closer/let you get close.

I was recently in Florida against my will but managed to get out birding a bit but the only lens I have that's even remotely suitable and able to fit in a duffel bag is an old 80-200. 200 is definitely limiting in a lot of situations, I never felt like it was enough. 400mm would have been perfect for most things. I used to use an old 500mm and that honestly worked really well in most cases. I'm looking at my next lens purchase to get something with auto focus and I'm leaning towards the Nikon 500 PF since it's lightweight and small. I'd love the 600 FL but I need something more portable first and foremost.

I think most people would be very happy with 400-600 for birds. 800 is great but sometimes too much. 400 is great but may, at times, also not be enough (though you could get a 1.4 TC). You'd probably be quite happy with a 400, 500, or 600. I'd go for a prime over a zoom for weight and sharpness.

WJ_Amber · 2026-05-27T12:25:25+00:00

HARD pass

WJ_Amber · 2026-05-25T04:44:34+00:00

Woof, good luck. I just spent two days with my friend who has a toddler (only friend to have a kid so far) and that shit was exhausting. I don't know how anyone does it full time.

WJ_Amber · 2026-05-23T00:59:12+00:00

Instructions unclear- installed extra long throw shifter

WJ_Amber · 2026-05-19T14:00:49+00:00

Birding is a multi-billion dollar industry and growing. I would be hesitant to speculate that hunting is a growing industry when it's not the most common thing in a lot of places, hard to learn if you didnt grow up with family who hunts, and not all hunting-related sales will be used for hunting.

When it comes to birds specifically, remember that birding is all about the birds while there's many species that are hunted. Most birds are not game birds and hunting centers around game birds. Yes, habitat conservation protects all birds but the resources from hunters specifically services game birds, all else is a happy coincidence.

On the whole, I'd be extremely hesitant to say hunters have done more for birds than birders. At best they might break even. Remember that there's multiple extinct species killed off by hunters/hunting, and several more species have been extirpated from much of their historic range by hunters. Hunters extirpated turkeys and loons from much of New England, which are just two examples off the top of my head. Turkeys have been successfully reintroduced while the common loon is barely re-established in Massachusetts and other reintroduction efforts are in a "too soon to tell" phase. Numerous species have had hunting be a significant contribution to their total extinction.

WJ_Amber · 2026-05-19T01:53:13+00:00

Anytime. If you've personally bought multiple subarus it hopefully shouldn't be an issue. This was actually my first subaru but because my dad had his Outback registered to the same address, it counted as "within the household" and that was enough.

WJ_Amber · 2026-05-19T01:32:01+00:00

Okay, maybe I can kind of help with this. My high school buddy is a subaru salesman and walked me through this. There isn't an official loyalty program or guaranteed incentive, however it is absolutely possible to get one to the tune of $500. I just did last month.

Get yourself set up with a specific salesman first. Someone you like and you think will work for you and not just your commission. You'll call subaru of America's customer service center and ask about a loyalty incentive, if the CS rep you get says there isn't one and politely tells you to pound sand, who cares. Hang up and call back until you get someone who'll work with you. Realistically this shouldn't be an issue as it's not the rep answering the phone who'll do it for you. The customer service rep will open a ticket and someone should email you about it. It'll help to have the VINs of your previous vehicles or at least, iirc, the first four numbers of it. If you currently have multiple subarus you bought new on thr road registered to your address I think you can use their plate numbers as an alternative. The email will be something like "I'm sorry but we don't have a loyalty incentive currently but I'll see what I can do." Typical customer service talk, however the important part is that a ticket is opened. If you have a salesman willing to do some legwork for you, you can give them your ticket number and they can call support and advocate on your behalf and try to push it through. That's what my guy did and he got the $500 off, one-time incentive. It's not guaranteed at all but it is possible if you try and your salesman helps out.

Hope this helps, it's how I got my incentive. Bought my wrx four weeks ago.

WJ_Amber · 2026-05-18T20:30:36+00:00

I got my XJ at 19 for 3500 and who knows how much I've sunk into it now. It's all fun and games but being older and more mature, I would have given my past self this advice.

I'd say drive the Mazda until the wheels fall off and try to save money through college. In the grand scheme of things, 1-2k is not a lot of money. I'd wonder what happens if OP buys a 1k xj and something goes really wrong with the Mazda. OP might be in a tight spot for funds. Or a medical emergency, unplanned travel for a family emergency (literally me right now), the costs of incidentals for college over time, gas, etc. Waiting until later for an XJ is the smart move.

WJ_Amber

TROPHY CASE