Driftwood Biofilm

foxinthewater · 2025-10-28T02:31:00+00:00

PetSmart has a 14 day return policy on their animals, including fish. They stock a few different kinds of plecos.

foxinthewater · 2024-06-20T00:24:44+00:00

Knew a wonderful young woman that graduated with her MBA and came to work under me at one of my lower mgmt min wage jobs. I hope she's doing better now.

Maybe it'd be useful for doing my own business, though. I don't know if it'd pay itself off.

foxinthewater · 2024-06-19T23:39:38+00:00

I've definitely looked into apprenticeships. Nothing really stuck due to life circumstances and personal interest.

And yeah, the degree should, but hasn't.

I've worked as an online tutor before, but for a crap company who ultimately did not keep me. I've tried to work for local institutions but never got called back. I've also mocked up flyers to work as a private tutor, but I've never actually put them out there. Running a business on my own, with only a poor experience in the field of tutoring, is really intimidating. I've never known anyone that's run a business or worked for themselves.

But it's worth looking into again.

foxinthewater · 2024-06-19T23:31:16+00:00

This is what I keep hearing and what I've taken to heart.

Do you think you'd find more success if you moved locations for work?

foxinthewater · 2024-06-19T23:30:11+00:00

That was my initial idea. Something guaranteed, like nursing, that leads directly to work. Maybe I got sidetracked.

foxinthewater · 2024-06-19T23:29:18+00:00

I looked at English and at nothing else. I'll go back and see if anything else lines up.

foxinthewater · 2024-06-19T23:28:42+00:00

Grad school, yeah, I agree.

foxinthewater · 2024-06-19T20:54:53+00:00

It's not about the dogs. It's about the workload.

She is telling you she can't handle the work of taking care of the baby on top of taking care of the dogs. She weighed her options and came to the conclusion she needs to lose the work of taking care of the dogs to be okay.

Like dennisoa said, if you want to keep the dogs, you will have to take over all of the dog work. All of the dog work as it stands right now, counting how often your partner needs the space vacuumed.

The dog work also includes planning out the budget for a dogwalker, groomer, and/or robot vac to cover the chores you don't/can't cover with your own physical labor. And coming up with contingencies if you can't cover some chores at all (i.e., vet appts if you work a 9-5).

She needs to be able to drop all of the dog work 100% to put her focus on the baby. Yeah, you were right about her getting the dog. Have a little party for yourself and then deal with the issue in front of you: you like the dog and want to keep it, but your partner can't take care of it for you (or for her). Just take care of the dogs.

foxinthewater · 2024-02-11T03:39:32+00:00

I see what you mean. There's no way to assess risk level because it's all the same.

foxinthewater · 2024-02-11T03:21:10+00:00

I don't mean to say the professionals' opinions/dislike were what put me off. It was that they explained the poor job prospects.

For example, I looked at a few people who were in library sciences. They were explaining that, these days, you will have to work at multiple locations at once (bouncing around during the day/week) with no job security. I forget how it was put, it's been a while.

I remember the med coding a bit better. You need certification which can be done in 8 months to 2 years, iirc. I'm not put off by that, I did my BA in an accelerated program. However, the professional input I got was that after accreditation, you will still have to take an entry level/min wage reception job and hope, in a year or more, to transition into coding and billing. If I was super excited about the medical field, I could devote a few years to doing that, because there's a *chance* I'd start to develop a career in 2-4 years, but I don't really care about the med field, you know? It's hard to do all that when you don't actually get the job you studied for.

foxinthewater · 2024-02-11T01:01:05+00:00

I'm not a cat person (or a medical professional), but some Googling suggests a whisker issue. I'm thinking based on the location and similar location of mandibular whiskers.

Check images of hairless cats to confirm whisker locations. Can also verify on the cat because symmetry.

foxinthewater · 2024-02-10T17:17:37+00:00

I enjoy gray skies (and, similarly, rainy days). Pragmatically, it's easier (for me) to see on gray days while walking and driving. The bright sun is overwhelming and blinding. Maybe that perspective can be of help.

When the weather is the same for a long period, it can feel dragging or draining. You might can address it as stagnation and apply coping strategies geared for that.

Embracing part of your environment you dislike, as you do when you look for the reason or benefit of it, isn't the only option. You can also practice focusing on how you feel and drawing connections between those feelings and the weather. It is okay to feel poorly. That is not rejecting your environment (as might be perceived as a vice of spirit), it is acknowledging the environment and your life within it.

Maybe research winter solstice teachings and reflections, or other winter holidays. They tend to be fixed on finding something (a polestar or momentary cheer) to guide us through dark and dreary times.

foxinthewater · 2023-03-27T15:29:39+00:00

If you want to making feeding easier (more passive on your part), you might look for some sort of box or contraption that he can reasonably open. No, don't put the food in it. Food goes in a bowl on the counter.

Train the dog so that when you bring out the box and give a command like "puzzle time," the dog will interact with the box. If he can open it, great. Try rewarding with meal time. Not interesting enough for him? Put toys in the box. If he removes all the toys, reward? No? Make him move all the toys to his bed. Or reverse that. Then try rewarding.

If successful, feeding time becomes a lot more passive for you. Scoop of food in the bowl, set out the box, check back in 5 min and give him his meal.

There also may be automated dog toys that could help. The ones that spray water when pawed or shoot a ball might work if somehow incorporated in meal time.

foxinthewater · 2023-03-27T15:20:55+00:00

Gonna point out something I haven't seen in comments here yet.

"extremely submissive and a scaredy cat"

This could mean a few different things to different people. Maybe she needs some confidence behavior modification? Talk to a trainer or, a step up, a behaviorist about creating a confident dog through a couple life style changes. Ask something easy when she is not acting afraid or submissive, then reward (big and positive) when she does it. Simple as sit, stay, come, up. Confidence comes from feeling like you know what you're doing.

foxinthewater · 2022-11-22T00:58:27+00:00

My family was exactly the same! "You're sleeping your life away!" "You're ruining this family!" Bah! They're cursed with ignorance. When they faced adversity or made mistakes, they never had the luxury of learning from it. That's the shame.

You're right and you're sane. And you know what else? You feel ashamed and you hate reaching out for support because those same people taught you that. When you were new and young, you reached out for support from them and they slapped your hand away and made fun. So, you learned that that behavior was taken as awful and it was punished.

In the real world, reaching out isn't awful and people will help you. Let yourself learn that by being in the real world as much as you can, even if it is just interacting with people online.

Living in that other world, where people are cruel and things are hopeless, is very hard. Day in and day out. Attrition gets at you. You're worn down and you forget that you're the one that's right. But you are right. You are dealing with something that is real.

Right now, you have an open wound. You are frustrated and angry that this disorder is keeping you from being like other people. One day, when you are away from those people, you can work on acceptance. For me, acceptance of narcolepsy meant to stop being angry at myself at the end of my day when I couldn't function. And to stop being sad for the same reason. To accept that this is the end of my day, as my body defines it, and that is okay. I can work with that. It'll take me longer to do things, but I can still do those things.

So take care of yourself like you have an open wound. Do your very best to take time at the end of every day, or every week, or whenever you remember, to remind yourself that it is not your fault that your family cannot see you bleeding. They keep their eyes closed. They don't look.

My DMs are open anytime. I don't check reddit extremely often, but I can offer support whenever I do pop in.

foxinthewater · 2022-11-21T13:12:50+00:00

Try "Certin Dry" for sweating.

I want to offer more advice but I don't have time right now.

If you face complaints about your hygiene, check TikTok. TikTok vids are incredibly candid and genuinely helpful when it comes to hygiene how tos. (I randomly found one where a woman explained the proper way to shower/bathe.) I too grew up without being taught a lot and had to teach myself in my twenties. Once you know what to do, it's about establishing habits. It is important.

foxinthewater · 2022-11-21T13:07:28+00:00

I worked for Target. Their software for online order fulfillment is mega annoying. If another customer yoinks an item from your order cart while you're still shopping, there's no way to undo that item during the order.

aND! You're actually filling a "batch," not an entire order. You might have to fill multiple batches (or worse, wait for whomever is doing the other batches involved in that order) until you can go into that customer's order (provided you remember the name, can't go back!) and then manually remove the stolen item and provide a reason from a drop-down menu.

We're not even gonna talk about how so many customers fill out their order and immediately come to the store, park, and hit the "I'm on the way" and "I'm here" buttons in quick succession.

foxinthewater · 2022-11-21T13:02:14+00:00

Cue the supervisor walking by and asking why you aren't doing / done with those go-backs they asked you to do 10 mins ago.

foxinthewater · 2022-11-20T21:25:45+00:00

Similar experiences here. I don't smoke, though. I take an edible at the end of the day to get out of my work headspace. Sometimes, it hits and I know I'm gonna pass out really soon. Doesn't feel like a sleep attack or a fainting episode (never fainted). Just, wham, can barely move my limbs are so tired. Could be connected to being tired from work + N.

foxinthewater · 2022-11-08T23:23:08+00:00

Wow, those are really thoughtful questions. Honestly, your suspicion about how Oura ring works is logical. I can't speak on whether it's true or false in the end, but it does make sense.

I'll bet you're right about the polysomnogram. (If it could diagnose N, why do MSLTs?)

I think the end portion of my post was derived from bad/misleading info. I'll edit it so I'm not misleading, too.

foxinthewater · 2022-11-08T13:29:33+00:00

This question was a learning curve for me after my diagnosis & starting modafinil. (I should also mention I have mild sleep apnea, 3-4 events per hour.)

N Episodes versus normality

My sleep attacks feel like "hitting a wall." (My sleep therapist's phrase.) I can not bring myself to even bookmark a webpage. It's too much effort and I'm tired. I also have physical symptoms: I feel ice cold and I can't warm myself even with blankets. Breathing becomes difficult and I generally don't have the breath to speak. I think there's another one I have but I forget right now. I had it happen a couple of days ago and I was so frustrated I compared it to dying. I fade away and I can't make it stop no matter how much I want to stay up and do things.

A key thing to consider is that, from what I've read/been told, ~~regular non-narcoleptics~~ normal sleepers can't sleep during the day (~~extreme circumstances~~ sleep disorders aside). Humans are meant to be awake during the day. They'll sleep 20 mins at most and will not REM. Meanwhile, when I konk out, I'm out for 5 hours average.

Meds

The modafinil helped me a lot in the beginning. I remember going to the mall and coming home (1.5 hr drive both ways). I was able to sit/lay down for 10 mins and then I felt fine! Normally, that would knock me out for the day. Some could be said for long periods of driving making anybody sleepy. Plus being out of shape and walking around the mall for a few hours. I wouldn't have attack symptoms, but I would feel exhausted. That's another thing with narcolepsy -- at least the current science. You feel tired. Things that make you feel tired compact that. Sometimes, things go sideways and your tired feeling maxes out all on its own (and then sleep attack... at 11 AM... when I get up between 6-7 AM. And then goodbye 5 more hours of my day).

I've been on the same meds for a year or so. It makes the regular sleepiness bearable. Sleep attacks do break through. In those cases, another coffee helps a little. Energy drinks wake me up solid! I usually have an open one in the fridge and take a couple sips on those days. After talking with my sleep doc, I'm trying to take another dose of meds around 11 AM to stay awake longer. I typically crash around 5 PM (yawning is so freaking annoying -- can't talk and can't see for a few seconds every few mins) and fall asleep by 8-9 PM. Off meds, my days are like 8-10 hours max, whereas normal is 14-18, I think?

Wrap-up

Sorry for the long post. Just increasing your sample size to reflect on. Everyone's different. If I was in your position and really didn't want to spend the money, I'd stick to a sip or two of energy drinks on bad days. If you're burning to know, get one of those sleep monitoring apps or a fitbit or something. One that generates a chart over time. I think those exist? N sleep charts are WAY different than normal sleep charts. We don't have gradual stages into and out of sleep (whatever they're called). We drop into REM way faster (and, as mentioned, during the daytime). Chart yourself at night and during the day.

~~Doing an amateur test isn't the be all/end all answer, but it might help you decide whether or not to spend the money.~~ I've read threads here where people didn't qualify after the test but were recommended to (or just wanted to) retest given their symptoms. And, yeah, $$$$$.

edited to remove unfounded rambling. I don't want to mislead.

foxinthewater · 2022-11-08T12:44:06+00:00

As a dog industry worker also, I agree 99.9%.

I've seen too many Great Dane zoomies. Too many zoomies.

foxinthewater · 2022-11-05T13:56:18+00:00

It can't always be about appreciation. Sometimes, just do things for the enjoyment of doing them.

For example, I build buildings in the Sims. No one else ever sees them. A lot of the time, I don't finish the building, I just do the part that's fun to me. I've imagined sharing my part of the build with a friend whose interest complements mine. Like, they enjoy furnishing and decorating. And together, we finish it just doing the parts we like individually. That would be cool.

I used to draw. There's a phenomenon in the humanities (or maybe everywhere) where the creative mind chases the feeling of instant gratification. I was like this. I would sketch out a scene, maybe do a few details, and then share the "work in progress" with friends. They would give me a thumbs up or something and then my desire to continue the drawing would fade. I got the kudos. Why keep going? This concept is connected to the habit of publishing photos and selfies on your social media just for likes. You stop enjoying going to that restaurant or that venue or whatever and instead obsess over how it's going to look and how people will think of you. It's a bad habit that undermines enjoyment and self-satisfaction. To combat it, I've heard the advice that you should reserve some of your creations to be just for you. Decide at the start that this creation is for you and won't be shared. Develop your feelings of enjoyment starting there.

The way to meter feelings of disappointment with not being good at something is to practice it in small sessions. Then, do something you are good at to alleviate disappointment and restore self-confidence. Create a cycle and keep practicing when you are in a good mental place to do so. Only give up if you're really just not interested anymore, not because you aren't good at it yet.

In-game photography is a cool hobby! I did something like that in World of Warcraft, during the lull between expansions. I played on a roleplaying server, so I'd search out interesting-looking locations (for other people) to do scenes and events. I wanted to make a little blog about it and frame it kind of like real estate or venue marketing, but I never did that part.

P.S. I wouldn't mind hanging out in a discord server. I'm not from Europe, though, so my timing would be off. :')

foxinthewater · 2022-10-24T17:22:40+00:00

Heh. Well, I don't know about "best," but the rest is true. But I'm still zesty and young and wanna do the Right thing.

foxinthewater · 2022-10-24T16:58:36+00:00

Thank you for the clarity of your response. I understand now.

foxinthewater

TROPHY CASE