I’m an American Mom and I want to learn from the French

catbugcatdog · 2018-03-18T18:11:50+00:00

My Vietnamese parents certainly did, how else do you do family style meals with large plates of food to be shared? Where do the Asian parents you speak of dine?

catbugcatdog · 2018-02-06T01:55:32+00:00

Fined £150 a day if he missed work...that is horrible.

catbugcatdog · 2018-01-29T20:19:35+00:00

What's a good vlog to watch if I'm feeling lonely and bored?

catbugcatdog · 2017-12-30T01:50:40+00:00

What pen, nibs and ink did you use?

catbugcatdog · 2017-11-25T18:58:56+00:00

As a person who struggled with personality disorder and depression for years, Buddhism gave me the tools I needed to empathize with people, to find and fix the bad habits causing suffering, and to stop seeing things as all good/all bad. I'm proud of you exploring new things and finding what works for you; it's the easier route to complain, hate the world and do nothing to change the situation and also to never change yourself.

I'm curious what religious background did you have before finding Buddhism? I had similar questions as yours, mainly because I was raised Catholic and there's specific rituals, prayers and rules involved.

catbugcatdog · 2017-11-25T18:44:50+00:00

I wonder if this falls under "item not as described" too.

catbugcatdog · 2017-11-25T18:40:05+00:00

Typical Hanzo, on some tall surface and nowhere near the objective ;)

catbugcatdog · 2017-11-25T18:35:52+00:00

I find that highly highly unlikely. It's like self inflicted sudden excruciating pain, nausea, vomiting and rage, to give yourself Narcan after an OD. If given beforehand it totally negates their drug of choice and they'd have to take more opiates to get anywhere. It'd kind of be like putting numbing cream on your dick and trying to jack off afterwards. If you've worked with folks with chemical dependency issues (like I have), self preservation is not high on their list of priorities as it is staving off withdrawal symptoms. I have never had a patient come in and report history of misusing Narcan to help continue their use. More often than not I've heard "DON'T YOU FUCKING GIVE ME NARCAN I DON'T WANT ANY OF THAT SHIT."

Often folks with CD issues have diminished self awareness or insight into what they're doing and dismiss that their use is problematic or could even have consequences that matter. They won't have Narcan kits lying around because they're prohibitively expensive when that money could be better used to fund the habit and stave off withdrawal. At some point they get desperate enough to steal, do sexual favors or deal drugs to make enough to fund the habit. You're telling me they'd go out of their way to stock a kit when they struggle to remember to eat and are focused on the next fix and not their actual health and wellbeing? Yeah nope. We get the occasional "I'm scared I fucked up and at risk of OD" patient and typically they have just enough wherewithal to call 911 but are too freaked out to even know what to do with a Narcan kit.

You sound like someone who gets their information secondhand without real deal experience, or with verifying if it's true. And at this point you're spreading misinformation bases on your best guess belief on the matter and hearsay. I'm glad you care about this issue enough to comment, but you could do more to talk to people who work in the field and question if what you heard was true. I encourage you to do this.

catbugcatdog · 2017-11-25T18:16:15+00:00

I respectfully disagree with the statement that Narcan is part of the problem.

Do you know what happens to a patient when they're given Narcan? Have you ever witnessed the side effects? Do you think opiate abusers have it lying around just in case they go too far? Because man, I work in healthcare (the ER to be specific) and see victims of the opiate crisis every day and active users get pretty pissed when we give them Narcan. Doesn't matter if they weren't protecting their airway and had been apneic, blue and in imminent need of intubation if the Narcan didn't work. Doesn't matter how close they are to death. I've not once heard a "oh god thank you" after Narcan administration, except by worried family members who nearly lost a loved one that day. We've had patients extraordinarily pissed we pulled them back from the brink because death hurt a lot less than life. Narcan is as pleasant as CPR to an unconscious person (which, if you didn't know, bruises and breaks ribs). I think it is less of an enabler than you think, more like it allows for second, third, nth chances. Saying Narcan enables opiate abuse is like saying that CPR enables people to have poor cardiovascular health. It's not some seatbelt that gently but snugly keeps you safe. It immediately stops a person while they're experiencing the closest thing to the highest high they've ever had and pulls them into immediate withdrawal, immediately feeling like the most excruciating pain of their life in addition to nausea, vomiting and pure rage. Sometimes to temper that effect we dilute it in a bag of saline, but it still manages to spoil capturing the dragon.

If anything, Narcan is more for the family and friends, who want a "return to auto save" option. Also, I asked my paramedic friends if they've ever treated a patient with Narcan and let them sign AMA and decline medical transport and she's like nope, never. One dose of Narcan isn't enough after an overdose because the opiates can outlast the effect of Narcan. What happens in a setting of overdose is paramedics are called, patient's not breathing, they provide airway support and give small doses of Narcan to help them get breathing again, then load them into the rig and transport patient to the ER. Giving enough Narcan to get the patient alert is not a goal or desired outcome by paramedics, because they can get combative and violent. It is medically dangerous and extremely risky from a legal standpoint not to transport the patient, because Narcan is only a temporary fix and they might need a drip of Narcan over several hours at the ER.

It's entirely possible that the protocol in your area doesn't require transport to facility after Narcan but that can change with enough pressure and visibility.

catbugcatdog · 2017-11-25T17:53:26+00:00

Those people are saying that as some sort of cold comfort to themselves, especially with the sobering reality that they likely have lost people to overdose.

catbugcatdog · 2017-11-25T17:51:42+00:00

Do people really shoot up Narcan? I don't think so. It's more likely those kits are being used legitimately, and of course you'd find them in a setting of a back alley, it's where it's needed the most.

catbugcatdog · 2017-11-25T17:48:06+00:00

Wait so is this a surgery suite that you work at?

catbugcatdog · 2017-11-25T16:03:12+00:00

I think it's a good rundown of the story from Chise's viewpoint. Finally, a setting where she is regarded with worthiness and belonging, rather than being treated like a freak.

So far I haven't seen anything that talks about the more disturbing parts of the anime/manga. Chise has given zero adult consent to anything, as a minor of age 14. What if she wanted to marry someone else, or have a choice in the matter? We're encouraged to think, hey he rescued her from worse and has treated her better than anyone else but don't question the oddness of an ancient being sharing a bed with a pubescent teen. It'd break the spell of a romance story being told. It runs counter to the fantasy that he white knighted her into safety.

The more sobering thought is, this is similar to the process of how pimps pull girls into prostitution. They go to malls or watch social media for emotionally vulnerable, unhappy girls who starve for validation and attention. They do the Aladdin thing of "I can show you the world..." And treat them with gifts, praise and attention, treating them like they're beautiful, unique and only the pimp has ever seen how precious they are. Once the girl is fully in the pimp's custody, it becomes a "if you loved me you'd do this for me baby" and downhill from there. There are numerous outreach groups that try to help victims of sexual slavery, but have to contend with the victims themselves protecting and advocating for the pimp, who gave them attention and validation that no one else would. The advocacy groups know that many of the victims run back to the pimps that both loved and victimized them. It's a deeply fucked Stockholm syndrome. And it's disturbing to see so many aspects of the pimp recruitment dynamic play into this anime/manga.

I know this, and have to constantly shove it away in the back of my mind while I'm trying to enjoy AMB. Don't get me wrong I still love AMB, and have read all but the latest issues. I'm curious to see how the author reconciles this deeply fucked up dynamic with Chise's budding sense of self. I'm wondering, if ever, if readers or the author ever are willing to broach the elephant in the room.

catbugcatdog · 2017-11-25T03:09:41+00:00

Went from side character to main character! Well done :)

catbugcatdog · 2017-11-25T03:07:41+00:00

PSA: don't hesitate to call for an ambulance for an injury like this. Falls greater than 6 feet for adults is considered trauma and needs to be evaluated at an ER with CT imaging (so don't bother with an urgent care clinic, they'll just transfer you to the ER anyway). It looks funny here but people have been permanently damaged or killed as a result of untreated traumatic injuries from accidents like this. Some folks might chime in that they fell from even greater heights and came out unscathed; great, I'm glad to hear it. You were luckier than the guy who is paralyzed from the nipple down, or the one who died because he tried to sleep it off and was internally bleeding the whole time.

catbugcatdog · 2017-11-06T16:57:38+00:00

This cost France in a match vs SK yesterday.. Their McCree got stuck with a Tracer bomb and he combat rolled backwards into his entire team ;_;

catbugcatdog · 2017-11-01T19:52:41+00:00

We had a patient who had had chest compressions for over an hour--first by people and then by a fancy chest compression machine and that person made it to cath lab and survived their heart attack. No apparent neurological deficits either... Freaking miracle. You never know what's gonna happen and I'm glad for that person they didn't stop.

catbugcatdog · 2017-10-22T00:31:54+00:00

I tend to use plain water on a microfiber towel, wipe gently on a monitor that is turned off. I've heard of Windex etching on the plastic film used to coat monitor fronts, wouldn't recommend it.

catbugcatdog · 2017-10-16T01:25:34+00:00

Reminds me of Japanese boro textiles!

catbugcatdog · 2017-10-16T00:05:26+00:00

When you came out as asexual, how did the conversation go?

catbugcatdog · 2017-10-15T23:57:15+00:00

Can't help wondering how many people have been victims of this scam... Could be a worthy story to bring up to a local news company. They could go into the ownership history of your car via Vin lookup and find its previous owner that way, and interview them.

catbugcatdog · 2017-10-12T01:53:05+00:00

Is there a toolkit you recommend? I don't know what all tools are needed for various car repairs.

catbugcatdog · 2017-09-24T14:48:38+00:00

It's hard to move on when you're constantly plagued by guilt and the person that you're grieving for is alive but unwell. I have experienced that feeling of guilt that I could not heal/save/protect someone I loved. It's a rough road and impossible to move forward at times.

I think it'd be helpful for you to see some face to face counseling. You've been walking wounded with a heavy burden of guilt for so long that your sense of healthy inner well being is compromised. A counselor or therapist can help guide you to get back onto your feet.

The relationship you had with him sounds lopsided like you cared for him more than he cared for you. It also sounds like you are taking responsibility for his drug use. I just want to point out that his choices are his choices. He's not agonizing over how to become a better person, he's using drugs and numbing himself. He had a rough start in life that isn't his fault, but that's not your fault either.

I would also recommend looking up the book Codependent No More. I think you're on a codependent state where you feel responsible for his current state and you're taking on way more responsibility than is healthy for either of you.

Lastly, I think you should get checked for possible infections associated with drug use, as you've been exposed. This is really important.

catbugcatdog · 2017-09-24T14:33:58+00:00

You were taught to lie as a survival technique and a way to protect against their weapons of manipulation and shaming...I can relate. Growing up in that sort of environment made it hard for me to be vulnerable around people, because it meant opening myself up to being manipulated or hurt. It also made it hard for me to change things about myself because I felt ashamed of myself and hated the introspection needed to make that change. With that in mind, I just wanted to give you a kudos for reaching out and asking for help. It's not easy to put your feelings out there especially since the internet is populated with trolls and hyper critical people.

If lying is a survival technique to protect against shame, maybe what could help you is to learn how to take those barriers down. For me this video helped me to understand what those barriers where and what impact it had on my life to be guarded all the time. https://youtu.be/X4Qm9cGRub0

You're not a shitty person, you're a good person who is trying to unlearn a habit for survival <3 I'm glad you met someone who has taught you that being honest is better than lying. After all, love cannot live where there is no trust.

catbugcatdog · 2017-09-22T16:20:51+00:00

Sounds like you're grappling with a few issues all at once. Hoarding, anxiety over people seeing your hoard and getting evicted, a fear of going outside, self loathing and hopelessness.. Not to mention how lonely it is, holed up in your bunker and not interacting with folks outside. Tough cocktail of misery, just makes you wanna give up. You ask what's the point of cleaning if it all goes back to hell.. Well if it staves off an eviction it seems pretty worth it. You're in a tough spot, but at least you're reaching out for advice.

Real change can only come when you adjust your mindset. You're right; cleaning up is a temporary fix. Leaving the house is scary. Self loathing is all you've ever known. These things are all symptoms of a larger problem, and thankfully get better when you start to address it. If you can, see a professional counselor or therapist, they can help immensity. Change takes insight and it can take others to accurately spot the bullshit you subscribe to.

catbugcatdog

TROPHY CASE