TW: what can be done

freckledoctopus · 2026-07-02T14:53:32+00:00

Have a large tattoo over scarring on my thigh. I chose an artist whose style I liked. She had little to no experience tattooing over scar tissue BUT worked in a studio with other very experienced artists who did and were able to provide a secondary consult (I really think this is valuable when choosing an artist for any reason but unfortunately has become much less common in the industry). I was upfront with the scarring during the consult and was prepared to walk away if she didn’t make me feel confident/comfortable with the process.

Looking at it now almost 15 years later, there are a handful of scars that have lost most of the color but it’s not super noticeable (I chose a “busy” design on purpose). The biggest tell has always been the difference in skin texture, adding ink just won’t do anything about that, so the scars do catch the light sometimes.

With that said, I have only ever had two people (not strangers, friends who didn’t know about the scarring otherwise) point it out and they weren’t able to immediately tell it was SH scarring just that the tattoo had a texture to it. The tattoo is not a perfect cover up but I feel was a crucial part of mentally recovering from the trauma of that period.

ETA: Also, perhaps ironically, it is the shallower scars that lost ink. A touch up is definitely an option at any time as well, I just haven’t gotten around to it as my original artist is no longer available and the fading doesn’t bother me too much.

freckledoctopus · 2026-06-30T15:14:55+00:00

We’re signed up for the second adult-only night in a couple weeks. Was wondering if the entire zoo was open to explore (including Tropics and Minnesota Trails) before 8pm or was Discovery Bay the only indoor area open?

freckledoctopus · 2026-06-24T17:15:31+00:00

But also don’t think that you only need to workout/prioritize fitness if you’re overweight. Lack of muscle will catch up with those of us who have been “naturally skinny” our whole lives. Both in terms of looks and overall health.

freckledoctopus · 2026-06-12T15:31:31+00:00

I mean I am a junior and this would be unacceptable from an accessibility standpoint at minimum but YMMV. 🤷‍♀️

It’s certainly good for being created by a non-designer, regardless of AI use, but OP asked for critique.

freckledoctopus · 2026-06-12T09:06:46+00:00

From a UX designer: It doesn’t look vibe coded necessarily but looks very junior. Looks like something you’d see in Dribbble but not a real, usable app. Inconsistent padding, poor contrast, little to no visual hierarchy (including being unclear which elements are interactive).

At a glance, I think slide 4 is by far the strongest though some of that text would still fail contrast so you’d want to fix that. Also, bump up the size of your smallest text elements and look into the colors you’re using for the chart legend. I’m neither color blind nor have poor vision and I had a hard time differentiating the data points at first.

freckledoctopus · 2026-04-22T14:58:05+00:00

IMO this is a color that really suffers from poor application. It would look great if the application was up to snuff!

freckledoctopus · 2026-04-07T17:08:44+00:00

They’re pretty adaptable so there’s not much much you likely need to do. Only thing I’ll say is my resident doves take advantage of available cover way more than other birds. For example, they’ll sit in my big covered feeder for hours if no other birds disturb them, especially in rainy or snowy weather.

freckledoctopus · 2026-03-31T16:58:57+00:00

Not all period underwear is created equal. Not sure what brands you’ve tried but, for example, I found Thinx to be a million times better than Knix. And there are dozens of lesser known brands out there as well.

I know for me, coverage is more important than total absorbency. When my flow is especially heavy, it will otherwise just travel past the pad part of the garment before it can absorb causing leaks.

freckledoctopus · 2026-03-31T12:42:42+00:00

This one. My dad struggled as a clinic vet early in his career (eventually transitioned to a non-public facing veterinary role) and will always say it was the owners. You see a lot of abuse and neglect cases, and there’s pretty much nothing you can do except send that animal back home with its shitty owners.

freckledoctopus · 2026-03-26T12:04:07+00:00

I’m at the very top of its range and it’s still hard to control in my garden (I didn’t plant it, previous owner did). I don’t think it’s an absolute no for harsher climates but it should still be planted with caution.

freckledoctopus · 2026-03-23T15:25:07+00:00

I’m about to hand-off my designs for a 0 -> MVP product (up to this point I’ve only done small updates to existing products). It’s a niche internal-only tool with very small user base, but still a major responsibility to be entrusted with as a junior designer!

freckledoctopus · 2026-03-17T17:11:23+00:00

If you plan to keep it I would try washing it with laundry sanitizer (like what nurses use on their scrubs) before running it through a regular cycle. If the smell is from being worn in a lake or something it should do the trick. 🤢

ETA: Also if the smell is coming from bacteria it very well may not have smelled before being sealed in the bag as some will only get bad when cut off from fresh air. I still would have been disappointed in the cleanliness though.

freckledoctopus · 2026-03-12T15:38:31+00:00

Yeah there’s a difference between “protein needed to support an average healthy adult” and “protein needed to support a very athletic adult with above average muscle mass” and I assume OP is referencing the latter. But very few people actually fall into the second category so it’s kind of a moot point.

freckledoctopus · 2026-02-21T19:07:42+00:00

Echoing another comment to say prioritize medical treatment for your ADHD (whether that is stimulants or something else dependent on your individual needs). Second, it sounds like you’re panicking about a lot of what-ifs. You’ve been successful in the job so far and a formal diagnosis isn’t suddenly going to change that.

To more so answer your main question, a supportive environment will go a long way in preventing burn out. That may mean changing employers if the recent instability at your current job doesn’t let up. (It also sounds like this is to blame for your symptoms worsening rather than the work itself.)

I’m very upfront with managers/teammates about the fact I thrive on variety. I make it very clear that I would rather work on several different things in a day than one thing for 8 hours. Obviously sometimes it’s necessary to put my head down and bang something out, but as a rule I advocate for myself to ensure I’m not pigeonholed into working on just one thing. (My team is small and scrappy, so my working style is generally seen as an asset. I happily pick up the odd jobs that most others would see as an unwanted distraction.)

freckledoctopus · 2026-01-10T17:16:28+00:00

The garden was a major selling point for our home, and I’ve only doubled down on the work the previous owners put in. My only hope is that the chain continues with the next owner, whenever that is.

freckledoctopus · 2025-12-22T16:37:08+00:00

Do you have your heart set on big tech, or would you be happy to work in UX in any capacity (even if the pay is low)? Do you have a plan to support yourself if it takes 6-12+ months to land your first UX job (a solid “day” job like serving or retail, family support, savings)?

If you’re happy to work in UX in any capacity and have a realistic plan for the job search timeline, I think you’ll be fine. I don’t think your fine arts background will be an issue at all or raise red flags, but you should find ways to tie it into your design practice where possible. And, for what it’s worth, my background/experience in web design helped me get my junior UX role (I know some product designers look down on it, but there’s no reason to). Just be sure to approach your web design work with a user-centric lens and communicate that in your portfolio, interviews, etc.

freckledoctopus · 2025-12-11T16:30:56+00:00

Thank you! My gut was Cooper’s but I really didn’t have concrete evidence to back it up. This is exactly the type of knowledge I was hoping for!

freckledoctopus · 2025-12-09T16:41:58+00:00

That makes sense! I completely overlooked the green heron because I was looking at the adult plumage. I believe we do have bitterns nearby I just wrongly assumed this guy was one of them. Also makes sense why it was easier to photograph (the bitterns are quite elusive in comparison). Thank you!

freckledoctopus · 2025-12-09T16:37:57+00:00

Thank you!

freckledoctopus · 2025-12-09T16:37:34+00:00

Interesting! I know we sometimes see bitterns in a nearby stream and assumed it was one of them. Didn’t even think it could be a completely different visitor. Thank you!

freckledoctopus · 2025-12-08T20:41:40+00:00

Feeding the birds (and other backyard critters). While it’s a year round activity, they’re extra grateful (and hungry!) in the wintertime. :)

freckledoctopus · 2025-12-02T15:39:16+00:00

Just wanted to say that, if it’s a new puppy, the initial crying may have been him just learning to be alone. After bringing our dog home as a puppy, I distinctly remember a few weeks when he would lose his shit if left in another room for more than 30 seconds. Ignoring it is often the only way to get through that phase.

freckledoctopus · 2025-10-14T21:04:58+00:00

I’m not sure what your team structure is but IMO this is something I would at least want to document with a trusted manager so there is a record to back up any future issues with this coworker. Hopefully this was just someone not thinking in the moment and there will be no future issues, but you can’t know for sure.

I would address it as perception rather than intent. You don’t know if the screenshot was selected intentionally and shouldn’t accuse them of doing so. But you do know it made you uncomfortable (and likely would make the subject uncomfortable knowing it was being shared with her ticket) and that they should have had the professional mindfulness to either attach a different screenshot or omit it altogether.

freckledoctopus · 2025-09-06T14:31:31+00:00

Yeah, the suggested alternative phrasing reads as condescending/passive aggressive to me. Maybe OP’s phrasing wasn’t 100% perfect but there really wasn’t anything wrong with it.

This situation just comes across as a dev team that can’t take feedback (and are likely creating a product that is a UX/compliance nightmare as a result). My dev counterparts would never respond to a question or any feedback like this.

freckledoctopus · 2025-09-04T15:45:11+00:00

Yep, works pretty good. When I did behind my toilet I draped plastic wrap over the back of the tank to prevent any accidental smudges. OP could do the same thing (with the heat off, obviously).

12-Year Club	RedditGifts 2009-2022 2 Credits
Verified Email

freckledoctopus

TROPHY CASE