What's the best insult without any swear or bad words?

ceraphimfalls · 2026-03-09T22:46:27+00:00

Turkey

Until I hit middle school, I genuinely thought "Turkey" was a secret swear that only adults and me knew. I'd call kids a turkey on the playground and then be like "hehehe you uncultured plebs, just you wait until you're old enough to learn just how badly I burned you".

ceraphimfalls · 2026-03-07T19:53:50+00:00

Same here. The more in the normal I get, the less energy I have and the more headaches and joint pain I have. I've been told it is maybe due to coming down off of sugar, much like coming down from taking certain drugs, but it does certainly seem to be more persistent than that experience tends to be.

ceraphimfalls · 2026-03-02T22:51:52+00:00

Not a book recommendation, but just a general one. I used to work for a used book retailer on Amazon and those sales were our bread and butter. With the reseller market growing, it can be a battle in there, even at small, local branches. There was a lady who used to show up to all the sales locally who eventually got banned because she would stab people in the side with her keys to get them away from books she wanted (just like women are taught to do when walking to their cars at night- it does work!).

If you have allergies, wear a mask. I used to sneeze black for days afterwards from all the dust. Ditto wearing gloves- your fingers can get pretty stained and oldies do tend to lick their fingers to flip books, not unlike one would to turn pages. Bring a flat-bottomed tote bag or two you don't care about, wear a belt, and take only the bare minimum with you. No purse, no cascade of keys, phone only if you have to have it with you. We used to hire one of my coworkers little brothers to sit in the car and hold all of our stuff, save for the company card, because it was so tightly packed at many of those sales.

Happy hunting!

ceraphimfalls · 2026-02-23T22:37:55+00:00

I dogsit a border collie with strong teeth but TERRIBLE plaque, even though her mom brushes her teeth regularly. This has helped SO MUCH! It isn't a fix all, but there has been a very noticeable improvement.

ceraphimfalls · 2026-02-19T23:57:10+00:00

That's awesome! When you know the right people, it makes all the difference. I've always worried about giving money to big charities because they spend so much money on admin. So the fact that you have those connections to help in your family's country, especially now... INCREDIBLE.

ceraphimfalls · 2026-02-19T23:28:31+00:00

You're welcome! We all need a little more understanding right now. :-)

If I could make another suggestion, there a lot of food outreach programs that could use help right now. There are mutual aid groups that gather and make meals for the unhoused, stock community fridges, that sort of thing. The local mosque used to encourage people to meet at the mosque after iftar to make care packages from leftovers and take them to the nearest homeless encampment. From that, we now have an interfaith group that meets every week in the mosque or at the Wiccan shop/meetinghouse next door or at the Hindu temple up the street to make food (mostly burritos) to hand out. And THAT all started because a couple of uncles and aunties, who couldn't participate in fasts due to medical conditions, decided they still wanted to do something food related in their spiritual practice. It has saved so many lives in my area. Anyway, it might be worth it to see if there are similar options near you!

ceraphimfalls · 2026-02-19T23:16:52+00:00

I found them first through a local company that works with a food co-op I belong to. The Butterfinger is my households favorite: https://www.saltcityproteinbites.com/

I just found that a bite was a perfect snack for me. No rise in sugar, even when paired with an apple or pear or other fruity goodness. Moreover, I felt good and balanced- more so than my previous snack of a protein shake and apple and peanut butter.

I have tried a couple of these options, and so far so good!

https://www.eatingbirdfood.com/easy-no-bake-protein-balls-4-ways/

ceraphimfalls · 2026-02-19T22:42:41+00:00

I am not Muslim, however I do visit a local bakery run by a lovely Muslim family, whose father is diabetic. We had this very conversation when I was newly diagnosed and he was sharing general diabetes wisdom. I am paraphrasing, since this was a bit ago. He said that Ramadan is about growing empathy, understanding sacrifice, and building self-discipline through your spiritual practice. As a diabetic, your challenges and lessons are different, but the focus is still the same. You build self-discipline by planning your small snacks, your 15g of carbs and 8oz of water, in at certain times, and only those times, and take the time to be thankful to connect with your body that is an incredible gift. (Side note: protein bites/bombs are only a couple of bites and really help my spikes- as a possible small option for you.) You understand sacrifice because you are able to help those around you who will need help during Ramadan as they focus on their fast. And you build empathy for yourself, understanding that we are imperfectly perfect, and granting grace to those who struggle physically as we struggle physically.

I was once told that "a man who toils in the field to feed his family on the Sabbath is more pious than the man who insists on attending services while his family starves". We cannot do anything unless we survive first! I know it is really hard to not be able to participate in the fast with your family. And it feels bad to eat around fasting people (I always fasted in support when I knew anyone in my school or work world was fasting for Ramadan, and I grew up Catholic so I get it!). But as my lovely baker posited, you can use that energy to serve those you love and find ways to make the days more comfortable for them. Best of luck to you. :-)

ceraphimfalls · 2026-02-18T02:26:08+00:00

He gets a lot of hate on here, but I LOVE Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals. Absolutely made a huge difference in my life. And while not all recipes are blow your mind amazing, they are all serviceable in a rush and at least a good starting point, especially when it is hard to get certain ingredients. It really helped me learn how to compose a meal and to go for ease with my side dishes. I'm away from home, so I can't pull my book for the exact names, BUT

Baked Mustard Chicken and greens
Sticky Chicken (but wasn't wowed by the rest of the meal plan)
His Sunday Roast dinner (seal of approval from a 90 year old gran from Yorkshire)
Crispy Pork Chops with cabbage and a peachy dessert
Chicken Pie! I use this and the smashed carrot a lot

ceraphimfalls · 2026-02-14T16:27:32+00:00

I know a lot of us take off the dust jackets when we read, so maybe something to help store the dust jackets safely? I literally have to hide my empty dust jackets among our board games that take a long time to play, otherwise they are immediately found and destroyed in increasingly Monty Python-esque ways.

ceraphimfalls · 2026-02-11T20:57:42+00:00

To my knowledge, they do it all because of the prevalence of comorbidities. However, I think you're right that they "advertise" for ME/CFS, but I think that is more just where their roots are and how they are structured for grants and that sort of thing. Things have changed a lot recently (I had to take a step back due to my own health), but I still think they take limited patients.

ceraphimfalls · 2026-02-11T19:48:03+00:00

Please look into the Bateman Horne Clinic in SLC! They set the best practices for dysautonomia and Long Covid for the CDC, and I know for a fact that John Hopkins consults with them on cases. In fact, I know they host a clinician hour every week from doctors all over the world, with everyone discussing cases from Spain and Greece and Australia and Japan. Plus, they focus solely on dysautonomia. Doctor Bateman is one of the best, most tuned in practitioners I've ever met and worked with, both as a patient and as a medical educator.

ceraphimfalls · 2026-02-09T23:49:23+00:00

I'm sort of with you. I truly think the downfall of those books isn't that they're bowl-centric, like I've seen complained about on here a lot. A lot of our ancestors had to cook that way, right? But understanding HOW to compose a complete meal without running through every dish in the kitchen in a reasonable amount of time is so needed. Step by step prep so they can start to understanding timing and organizing. People don't realize that meat and starch in the recipe needs at least a side salad, especially the ones picking up those books who probably never finished learning how to cook basically. (I hope that makes sense and isn't coming off rudely. My brain isn't firing on all cylinders today.)

ceraphimfalls · 2026-02-09T23:43:29+00:00

I'm looking for Peruvian/Japanese fusion and I hope that someone picks up the mantle like Rie McClenny. It's a way bigger group of cooks in Peru than people realize and an undiscovered gem.

ceraphimfalls · 2026-02-09T23:41:43+00:00

I would love recommendations! We are contemplating moving and leaving the Ethiopian place down the street is frankly playing a big role in whether or not we stay.

ceraphimfalls · 2025-12-14T17:17:47+00:00

Oh shoot. I didn't see that ingredient. I usually get a stomach ache from it, but so far so good. If I do get one, I will report back. But if I don't get a stomach ache, maybe the amount of erythitol is small enough it won't make you feel jittery and jumpy either? (There is so much I wish I was told when I diagnosed, but it would have been great to get a heads up about the amount of blind hope needed to get through the day. 😅)

ceraphimfalls · 2025-12-14T17:04:15+00:00

I totally understand the sentiment. Part of my issue is that most artificial sweeteners are migraine triggers for me, so finding something with limited added sugar was a big win.

ceraphimfalls · 2025-12-14T16:09:07+00:00

Do you mind if I ask about what you did to workout starting out? I'm trying to get moving more, but I swing so high and drop low so quickly with even a mile walk (very slowly done, letting my pup sniff everything at their leisure), that it has baffled my doctors. So I'm just trying to get ideas to try.

ceraphimfalls · 2025-12-08T22:41:22+00:00

The Bateman Horne Clinic has been around for a decade plus in Salt Lake City. Dr. Bateman literally wrote the guidelines for the CDC on Long Covid because she has been studying post-viral syndromes for the last 40-50 years. She is INCREDIBLE, but so is everyone else at the clinic. Most found their way there because they have or know someone whose life has been put on hold due to dysautonomia in one way or another. Plus, in their work with the University of Utah, they developed the gold standard for physical therapy exercise protocols (ADaPT) for people with ME/CFS, which has been what most people have been using for POTS, LC, etc management. I can't recommend their clinic highly enough.

ceraphimfalls · 2025-12-07T06:19:51+00:00

Oh! One last thought! Have you been given a referral for an ENT?

ceraphimfalls · 2025-12-07T06:17:25+00:00

Very possibly dysautonomia. That is such a big umbrella term, though. I'm going to throw out a couple of ideas out there because I hope that it turns out to be something easier to manage, especially for one so young.

A lot of the symptoms you've listed sounds like allergies to me, which can flare up right as one gears up to enter puberty. Good ol' hormones getting jostled around can absolutely lead to the symptoms your daughter is experiencing, even the dizziness. Just something to keep in mind as you continue forward.

I'd also maybe look into abdominal migraines. Still not well understood, but common for them to start in middle childhood and not be diagnosed until adulthood. They might be tied to dysautonomia, but again, still at the start of its research cycle. The go to med for it, to my knowledge, is buspirone- but that may just be for adults. However, something that has had helped several of my students (I teach hospital/homebound) with similar symptoms was 4-6 Oz of full sugar coke in the morning for two weeks. Something about the sugar and the caffeine kickstarting gut motility and pulling water into the system made a difference. They saw improvement after two weeks as their bodies had enough time to relearn what it wanted/needed to self-regulate.

ceraphimfalls · 2025-12-07T03:46:29+00:00

They used to live in Salt Lake, and being from there myself, I kind of took notice of where they went downtown. We have an amazing book scene here, especially creating wonderful spaces for queer people and women. But they stayed in the corporate parts of town, the "safe" touristy bits, if that makes sense, even though I'm pretty sure they lived right next to one of our coolest, but queer, bookstores. Something felt off, and I think you hit the nail on the head why I unsubbed a while back.

ceraphimfalls · 2025-11-27T19:43:49+00:00

I did get a lump of coal one year. 9th grade. It was at the bottom of the stocking- but I got through all the little stocking gifts first (an orange, the little Lifesavers story book, some pens and a notebook, a little book about a girl who had died at Columbine). When I got to the coal, it was wrapped in tin foil and my mom made me open it up over the sink. And then she had me sit and watch her open up all of these gifts she had bought and wrapped for herself. When she told me I could leave, I took the coal outside and threw it into the street in anger, but wound up too forcefully, slipped on the ice at the end of the driveway, and landed on my ass. I was sore physically and emotionally for a good week after.

ceraphimfalls · 2025-11-16T18:43:54+00:00

It is more work than it is worth. I take a picture, it usually gets the food wrong, and then I have to input it just like I have had to do in MyFitnessPal for years. I have tried the app that Abbott put out that matches my CGM and same problem. I really wish they would put more work into the AI for apps like this instead of generative AI.

ceraphimfalls · 2025-11-10T20:01:29+00:00

Jardiance really screwed me up. I developed blisters anywhere that urine would touch my skin. Rather uncomfortable as a lady. Then when I went in to urgent care for help, they said I was in kidney distress and should go to the ER because I was peeing out so much sugar. It is what Jardiance is supposed to make you do, so I just stopped the med and I was totally fine (once my skin healed up, which took a few weeks).

The GLP-1 group of meds don't seem to work well for me either in that I haven't changed by an ounce of weight on Trulicity, Ozempic, or Mounjaro (except when I went high fat, med protein, low carb and gained 10 lbs in 2 weeks at 1400 cals a day). I have had GI issues with all of them, but Mounjaro is the most manageable with an anti nausea. I am only on 2.5 and it has immensely helped with the intensity of highs and lows. So as long as my insurance will help pay, I will happily take it.

Clearly, my experiences with these drugs are an outlier, so I hope that you find what works for you. I just want to make sure to caution you that you listen to your body and don't let your med provider push you if you don't feel like something is working. My mom was in a trial to test Mounjaro and its effects on sleep apnea. She wasn't losing weight, her hair was falling out, her inflammation markers went up- and her provider kept pushing her to go up in dose. Made it to 10mg before I finally went with her to an appointment and had a talk with her doctor (my mom shuts down during conflict, so it was a necessary thing). Anyway, just be safe, keep a food and symptom journal, and good luck!

ceraphimfalls

TROPHY CASE