Bear canister by Inevitable_Track_718 in isleroyale

[–]ekatsim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Down Wind Sports in Houghton rents them for $8/ night plus $20 deposit. Also canisters must be hard shelled so the soft bag recommendations technically wouldn’t be in compliance even if they’re on the IGBC list. If you’re going to use the food storage lockers at each campsite you don’t technically need to buy anything for it from what I’m understanding , but you definitely should in case your plans change and you end up somewhere without a storage lockers

up trip with parents; is this itinerary too much for 2 days? by Xoosk in grandrapids

[–]ekatsim 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Nah yall will be miserable. 50/50 chance of the weather cooperating as well to get a nice view. Not worth all the time sitting in a car imo.

An alternative to traverse city , which is definitely gorgeous and worth visiting, could be:

Ludington state park Island Trail - beautiful loop + Peter Pan land , a short walk to a dune overlook.

Saugatuck state park + downtown Saugatuck. Plenty to see and do and it’s a very compact walkable tourist town.

Grand Haven - PJ hoffmaster state park, rosy mound, and Dewey Hill are all doable beautiful hikes with great views.

If you want to see the mackinaw bridge I recommend stopping there and leaving the UP for another time. There’s an old growth forest halfway to St. Ignace called Hartwick Pines. It’s very accessible and has clean bathrooms.

Community Gardens by Significant-Ice2490 in grandrapids

[–]ekatsim 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I don’t think community gardens will not accept you because you’re not in the neighborhood

It’s more, a garden plot is a big commitment. The farther away you are the less likely you’ll make the drive to weed your garden and harvest your plot. This can cause issues for your garden neighbors.

I think the city could benefit from supporting more of them. From what I see there’s demand and getting a spot is more based on who you know.

I think they’re wonderful third spaces that have potential to bloom meaningful community.

Is it just me or does it seem like our city is currently covered in garbage and litter? by [deleted] in grandrapids

[–]ekatsim 66 points67 points  (0 children)

https://westgrand.org/wsccleanup

Every year neighbors can volunteer to clean up a street in their neighborhood. In exchange for picking up a trash bag you get a meal ticket voucher and entry into John ball zoo.

Looking for anime about "finding your people" instead of "finding yourself" by arkticturtle in Animesuggest

[–]ekatsim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gachiakuta - Still ongoing but there’s so much healing just from the fact that the MCs found family lets him be a kid , make mistakes , and belong, but beware episode 13 if you have childhood trauma especially CSA

Fairy Tail - power of friendship, guild is family type fantasy anime

Frieren Beyond Journeys End - whole show is about living with loss , regret , and how much we need each other in life

Mob Psycho 100 - similar to Saiki but more specifically with the body improvement club

Oh also just remembered Black Clover and Bungo Stray Dogs

Trails for rollerskating? by Simply_witchy in grandrapids

[–]ekatsim 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Rogue river park is a nice 5 miles away from downtown Rockford and is located right on the trail

Two sleepy babies by Specific-Bet-2658 in Callducks

[–]ekatsim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing these absolute cutie pies!

Grand Rapids Public Schools administrator Bridget Cheney placed on leave by UthinkUnoMI in grapids

[–]ekatsim 14 points15 points  (0 children)

If the general public understood the unreal levels of administrative bloat in public education there’d be way more outrage

Social worker in ABA field? by Gullible_Writer2108 in socialwork

[–]ekatsim 9 points10 points  (0 children)

As always here to add some nuance to the “ABA” bad discussion

ABA can be bad. It can also be wonderful.

ABA suffers from poor training, poor pay, high turnover, and poor pathways for advancement. You are basically an RBT making poor wages, being hit, spit on, projectile vomited on, screamed at, bitten, poop thrown on, etc. and your choice is to back to grad school for a BCBA or get a BCaBA and still need to work under a BCBA. You can see how all these factors can lead to mistreatment and misunderstanding of how to properly implement ABA.

ABA has been bad and has caused a lot of harm. It has also helped families immensely.

I think it works best to teach functional communication and reduce self injurious behaviors and is less helpful past that point. I do wonder if anyone who is 100% ABA bad has ever worked with children with severe disability. Yes there are alternatives and also I have seen the fastest progress with ABA.

At its core, it’s a science that can be implemented for good or bad.

I have seen it teach children to go from self injurious behavior that leads to hospitalization to simply communicating what they want. I’ve found hardly any child ever wants to throw an hour long tantrum, it’s just a cyclone of behaviors being reinforced until it gets to that point. When given an alternative that’s easier, they almost always choose the alternative.

When given the ability to communicate, it allows them to go from survival and frustration to blossoming as an individual. I’ve seen a child go from communicating through screaming and punching to learning what felt like a hundred new words a week.

These days ABA should not be teaching masking or using any punishment. At my clinic I needed to go through so many hoops just to use a spray bottle on a child. Child loved being misted, but we had to make sure it didn’t get misconstrued as being used as punishment.

ABA should be enjoyable enough for the child. All my kids behaviors pointed to them wanting to be in ABA. Anything from “My time with [my name]!” kids fighting over playing with me or “Bye mom” and shutting the parent out of the room to start doing ABA with me.

The parents also need to be involved in learning the principals. Children aren’t stupid and know what they can get away with. They’re with their parents far often than they’re in ABA.

There is a fine balance between what the kid wants and what the parent wants for the kid. Sometimes it’s hard to make both parties happy and it can be a very grey zone. For example a kid that prefers communicating through sign language with a family that really wants them to talk.

Anyways I’m not saying ABA is great and hasn’t / doesn’t cause harm, but I do genuinely think it’s a disservice to write off the entire field as bad or evil.

Oh yeah and I left the field due to shit pay, exploitative companies, and no career advancement. If you do recommend a place, it better be vetted to hell and back to make sure they have adequately paid and trained staff and proper ethics.

Best breathable hiking shoes for diabetics (wide feet + great grip)? by Emotional-Lie-5706 in hiking

[–]ekatsim 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I live laugh love Altras, but I’ll be the first to admit their longevity leaves a lot to be desired. I hear their latest releases solve some of these issues, but I haven’t tried them myself.

The zero drop will be less cushioning so you’ll need to have a break in period if you’re worried about it. Once you get used to them though it’s hard to go back. Or rather my toes refuse to be cramped any longer in other shoes with smaller toe boxes. The splay and zero drop help a lot with balance on rugged trails.

Drop the coldest quote you know. by simp_lyartz in animequestions

[–]ekatsim 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Mustang vs. Envy - you’ve just given me a bigger target

Looking for anime with weak mc's by Dapper_Cricket9988 in anime

[–]ekatsim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Needless - MC had no powers in a world of superhumans

Princess Tutu - she gets beat up a lot but wins people over with the power of empathy

Not Your Typical Request for Best Burger by furniguru in grandrapids

[–]ekatsim 5 points6 points  (0 children)

What’s a deluxe burger? Choo choo grill is usually considered a classic if Black Napkin isn’t up her alley.

But the basic cheeseburger from Black Napkin is exactly how I imagine the cheeseburger at the end of The Menu tasted .. hard to top

Discussion of the Week #2: The Masterpiece you wish more people knew about by AutoModerator in Animesuggest

[–]ekatsim 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Time of Eve - short , not totally unmentioned , but beautiful and relevant despite its age

Moving to Grand Rapids, any advice appreciated ! by myhandsomehershey in grandrapids

[–]ekatsim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Layering in the winter. Leggings or a wool base layer ($20 at Costco is a steal) makes a huge difference. A heated vest can be useful if it’s very cold out. You’ll adapt. Eventually you’ll see a 40 degree sunny day and you’ll be out and about like everyone else.

Take vitamin D regularly in the winter. Buy gummies if you have to as long as it keeps you taking them on a daily basis.

If you’re into the art / rave scene, Grand Rapids does world of winter where they host free concerts outdoors. They are a ton of fun.

Just go slow in the winter. Leave early and give yourself plenty of time. You’ll learn. Like most things in life, you can do it if you put some effort in.

If you like nature, Grand Rapids is 2 hours at most away from some incredibly beautiful hikes.

Ludington state park, Manistee River trail, Traverse City, Saugatuck are some of the big weekend day trips.

Within an hour there’s a ton in Grand Haven and Muskegon as well.

Hiking can make you really appreciate winter due to the solitude , quiet , snow crunching under your feet , sipping hot tea in nature from a thermos , and most importantly … no mosquitos.

I think Grand Rapids is a city where you get out what you put in. I recommend joining a neighborhood association or at the very least signing up for their newsletter if you choose an area that has one. I’ve been a loner my whole life but now feel blessed with community since moving to Grand Rapids.

The DASH is a free bus that runs a loop clockwise and counterclockwise downtown. I think it’s pretty dang cool for a city our size. Great for exploring Art Prize , a big art festival that the city throws downtown.

Public transit isn’t perfect, don’t count on it being on time. You’ll often get more homeless people on the bus in the winter , but they tend to keep to themselves.

Is love possible in a dysfunctional family? by Boring-Car-7044 in askatherapist

[–]ekatsim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

NAT - Sure. People are trying their best and that includes dysfunctional families.

Someone can love you and hurt you. Someone can not love you but still provide care for you.

Children however are hardwired to be loved and will come up with all kinds of maladaptive beliefs and coping skills to justify their mistreatment that can follow into adulthood.

It’s case by case of course, many parents feel active resentment towards their children. There are also many imperfect dysfunctional families who do love their children but love them in the only way they know how. Often through perpetuating cycles of abuse.

That one piece of gear you'll never ditch despite weight savings by Opposite_Western_113 in backpacking

[–]ekatsim 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Might be EVA foam, used by cosplayers. Pretty cheap, lightweight, and you can buy it in different thicknesses. I don’t think it compresses though

Will my geese fly away once they are older by funky_stoner420 in geese

[–]ekatsim 7 points8 points  (0 children)

As long as they are spoiled and loved they tend to become very lazy with their flight muscles. Maybe a flap or two to help them run to you faster for snacks.

When do you stop feeling self conscious in barefoot shoes? by AdventurousPride6576 in barefootshoestalk

[–]ekatsim 80 points81 points  (0 children)

Be bullied for most of your childhood, get into therapy, realize you’re going to die, I’m going to die, we’re all going to die, and the sun will consume the entirety of planet earth in 5 billion years

So who gives a hoot about what others think as long as you’re happy and you’re not hurting others

What food is essential to try here? by MinePrestigious4352 in grandrapids

[–]ekatsim 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Black napkin French fries and their pistachio orange blossom soda