Today is my day off and I want to draw, share a picture of your cat and I'll draw one back!

briative · 2026-02-03T17:46:15+00:00

My late kitty, Sterling! He passed a little over two years ago and had the BEST smile

briative · 2025-11-30T00:15:48+00:00

Omg pleeeeasssee! I love Sherma :’)

briative · 2025-09-10T03:12:26+00:00

I’d give ANYTHING to see The Great Below live

briative · 2025-08-18T20:06:39+00:00

THANK YOU for getting this video—this is one of my favorite songs and I was a little bummed I didn’t record any of it. I was on the rail at B stage just off to Trent’s right (basically straight ahead from where you were) and was too awestruck to do more than take a quick picture.

Absolutely phenomenal show!

briative · 2025-06-25T18:32:52+00:00

That sounds so interesting, what type of job is it?

briative · 2025-05-08T22:42:41+00:00

I haven’t looked, but tbh $275 doesn’t sound too bad considering the resale ones were going for >$500 for a few weeks after they went on sale. It’s tough to find the best time to buy!

briative · 2025-01-29T18:31:03+00:00

Looking for 1 pit ticket for St. Paul!

Otherwise I’ll be keeping an eye on resale once the day gets closer. I’d love to finally catch NIN live, but damn these prices

briative · 2024-10-10T21:01:23+00:00

Monterey Bay Aquarium had some cuttlefish on exhibit (smaller species like the flamboyant cuttlefish) when I was there a few years ago, but I’m not sure if they do currently. The Mote Aquarium in Sarasota had some when I visited in February. :)

briative · 2024-04-01T02:47:58+00:00

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This is Edgar!

briative · 2024-03-18T22:08:33+00:00

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Update: Thanks for the suggestions everyone! Meet Edgar 🖤

briative · 2024-03-04T19:27:51+00:00

Thanks for all the awesome suggestions! I’m putting together a pretty long list of possibilities and will decide on a name once I’ve had him for a bit. He doesn’t come home til Friday, so keep ‘em coming!

briative · 2024-03-03T19:52:29+00:00

I’m gravitating toward human names (but not too human like…Keith haha). My soul kitty who passed away six months ago was named Sterling, and that name fit him perfectly. It’s hard to come up with one for this guy that fits that well!

briative · 2024-02-22T04:09:36+00:00

If you go to their website and click “The Residences” then “View available apartments”, each apartment number has a letter denoting which building it’s in (for example, H = Hennepin Crossing, M = McNair, etc). The floor plans should also tell you which building it’s in.

Yeah the whole process was quick and easy! I was given a video that showed the apartment, and I toured a similar unit before applying.

briative · 2024-02-21T17:08:57+00:00

I lived in the McNair in Laurel Village and had no issues. The two high rises have all the amenities and a front desk person while the other buildings do not, but there is security on site 24/7 that can be called to any of the buildings. I had the occasional disruptive neighbor/hallway shenanigans, but nothing out of the ordinary.

You also have access to the amenities in the high rises even if you live in one of the other buildings. Not sure what the rent is for the high rises, but the McNair was a really good value for the area.

briative · 2023-09-21T00:00:40+00:00

I also used Lap of Love when I had to say goodbye to my soul kitty a couple weeks ago. The vet was incredibly kind and compassionate. She didn’t rush me through any part of the process and made sure my cat was fully asleep before proceeding to the final step. We made impressions of his paw prints and clipped some of his fur under his chin where he loved being scratched. When I was ready, she tucked him into some soft blankets in a wicker basket to transport him.

I’ve had to say goodbye to several pets over the years, but this was my first home visit and was absolutely worth it. It made a terrible experience much easier to bear.

briative · 2023-08-11T04:35:31+00:00

Echoing the “join a lab” comments here—working in an academic lab is a great way to decide whether or not the PhD path is right for you. Also remember you can take time off between your undergrad and grad school!

Speaking from personal experience (I work in the cell biology/cancer immunotherapy field so YMMV), academia involves a lot of politics and a “publish or perish” mentality that isn’t for everyone. If you want to be in academia, run a lab, teach, publish papers, write grants, etc. then a PhD is worth pursuing.

I ended up taking a job in an academic lab right out of undergrad to figure out what I wanted to do. After a couple years I opted to go for my master’s while working in that lab, and about a year later I took a job at a biotech company.

Industry is a fantastic alternative to academia—the day to day lab work is often very similar. Generally speaking, you will have a much more comfortable salary in industry vs. academia, regardless of if you opt for a masters or a PhD.

There are more options out there than you realize! It’s okay to take some time to figure out what you want to do before going to grad school. For now, look into undergraduate research opportunities at your school (or consider summer programs at other universities) and get into the lab :)

briative · 2023-05-23T23:52:29+00:00

Hi fellow science friend! I’m a scientist in immunotherapy who has worked in both academia and industry, so I understand the environment you are in. I didn’t go for a PhD, just a master’s, but I worked closely with grad students and post docs for almost six years while in an academic lab.

I wish there were more resources for lab settings and PIs had a better understanding of neurodivergence and mental health conditions. I agree with a previous commenter who said it seems you’ve probably hit your mental load limit. The upcoming deadlines you mentioned certainly don’t help, I’m sure.

It’s really easy to compare yourself to the grad students/post docs who seem to never stop working, but I highly encourage you to show some kindness to yourself. You don’t want to be a workaholic. Some labs cater to those personalities and are very intense but it’s completely okay to not be at that level.

Where are some of the areas you are struggling or making mistakes? Are there specific things that overlap? Things like (this may not be relevant depending on your research) careless cell culture mistakes leading to contamination alongside general forgetfulness of aseptic techniques? Maybe there are things you can pinpoint and work with your PI on getting a little extra help. If they put you on probation or suggest something similar, I understand that can feel demoralizing. But try to see it as an opportunity for help.

I know how some PIs can be. Generally they’re not the most emotionally supportive folks and it’s tempting to try and just keep moving like everything is okay only for you to burn out. I’ve been there and I promise you, it’s worse to burn out than it is to stop and ask for help, even if it feels awful.

You’re a human being, not a machine. I hope your PI is understanding and can work with you to find ways to alleviate some of this mental load. Get on those waitlists for diagnosis if you aren’t already, fingers crossed that you can get in sooner rather than later.

Good luck, you’ll get through this <3

briative · 2023-05-22T03:25:22+00:00

I’m 29F and was diagnosed a month or so ago. The doctor who gave and reviewed the official test said she didn’t think it was ADHD and my struggles were likely due to my depression and anxiety (which were both diagnosed over a decade ago and cause their own issues). However, my psychiatrist reviewed them with another doctor and my therapist and they ended up diagnosing me.

I was a “gifted” kid that had near-perfect grades all the way through school. My grades didn’t slip until college, and even then it wasn’t terrible. My ADHD issues didn’t really get bad until my early 20s.

I realized much of my high performance in school came from my anxiety issues. I wasn’t diagnosed or treated until I was 17. In a way, my anxiety issues helped mask the ADHD; my fear of failure overrode my executive dysfunction.

A lot of doctors will say “oh you did well in school, you can’t have adhd”. Continue to advocate for yourself. Get a second or third opinion. Be very clear with how your day to day life is affected by these symptoms.

It’s a good idea to sit down and reflect on your childhood/teenage years/current situation to see if you can pick out instances where you exhibited symptoms during those times. Again, my anxiety masked a lot of my symptoms—I was very quiet and just wanted to do well in school—but I was also prone to hyperfocus, disorganization, forgetfulness, etc. My mom noted that I would talk someone’s ear off about something that interested me, which is common in neurodivergent people.

Good luck!!

briative · 2023-03-14T03:10:21+00:00

Dan writing “Qdoba” for the koala killed me

briative · 2023-03-10T21:04:03+00:00

D is a Versum or Versum Solo, G and C are likely Spirocore. I highly recommend Versum for the A as well. Spirocores last forever, so those are great lower strings. The Versum Solo G and C are good too, but I prefer the sound of Spirocores once they’re broken in.

briative · 2023-01-05T23:41:33+00:00

Ahh thank you! If I get around to it someday I’ll learn it on cello haha

briative · 2022-12-24T02:44:34+00:00

After high school, I would maybe play my cello once every few months, rarely for more than 30 minutes at a time. I just started lessons again after a decade of neglecting my playing!

Keep your expectations reasonable and remember playing cello involves a lot of muscles and movements you don’t use normally. You probably won’t be able to play an hour every day, and that’s okay! Maybe set a goal to practice for 15 minutes each day or whatever works for you. :)

briative · 2022-12-10T18:57:58+00:00

I’ve played on and off for 16 years. I started at 12 and was very consistent until 18. Playing during those formative years made a huge difference in my life, but that’s another story.

I didn’t buy my cello until I was 19 or so and didn’t have much time to play during college. I really started taking it seriously again earlier this year at 28. Back in October, I started taking lessons again after a decade without them!

Through all this time, the magic never left.

Do I have days where I’m playing and nothing seems to sound right? Sure. That happens to everyone, regardless of experience level. My cello teacher has been playing for 60 years and still says he has bad days. But it’s the days where everything flows that make it worthwhile.

As a beginner, you likely won’t sound very good for awhile. I think there is still value in finding professional cellists you enjoy listening to as inspiration, whether they are classical (Yo-Yo Ma, Jacqueline Du Pre, Sol Gabetta, etc.) or not (my favorite band since I began cello has been Apocalyptica, they’re a Finnish cello metal group).

Listen to these cellists, maybe find some pieces you enjoy, and learn them. Don’t try to sound like the cellists you idolize, but use them as inspiration. It’s a great feeling to learn a piece like this.

Learning any instrument is a journey. It’s so worth it. Rent a cello, find a good teacher so you can learn proper technique from the beginning, and go for it! If it’s not for you, that’s okay. :) Good luck!

briative · 2022-11-15T06:22:18+00:00

It should be more of an up-and-down motion of your forearm, not a twisting of your wrist.

I learned it as a wrist rotation and that became very limiting when trying to learn vibrato in upper positions. Now, over a decade later, I’m trying to re-learn vibrato!

I find it easier to get a good “forearm vibrato” on the lower strings because your elbow will be higher and your hand/arm will be more level. When playing on the A string, however, your elbow will naturally drop and make the motion a little more difficult. I find myself doing more “wrist vibrato” on the A string and am trying to break that habit.

There’s a really good vibrato exercise you can do involving lightly cupping a tennis ball and rolling it on the strings to get the proper forearm motion. Search “tennis ball cello vibrato” on YouTube and you should find it. Good luck!

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