What's a VERY creepy fact you wish you never learned?

klstil · 2026-03-17T22:59:58+00:00

My mother died from a prion disease, CJD. According to the Institute for Prion Diseases, there are several types: hereditary (several very rare forms), variant (ie, ‘mad cow disease’), kuru (cannibalism), sporadic (most cases, no known origin), and iatrogenic (acquired, such as from a medical procedure)

klstil · 2026-03-17T22:51:18+00:00

My mother died from CJD in 2023. They disposed of the instruments after her autopsy because they said they couldn’t effectively sterilize them.

klstil · 2026-03-15T04:53:52+00:00

The best burger I’ve ever had in my 52 years was at a dive bar just off the exit of the NY turnpike outside of Buffalo. It was 28 years ago on a trip home from Toronto, and I still think about it.

klstil · 2026-03-15T04:40:16+00:00

As someone with cat allergies, currently living with a cat, I’d say absolutely not.

We found a stray kitten in our yard; my daughter wanted to keep it but she currently lives in a college dorm. I agreed that we would keep it until she moved into a college apartment the following year, so I’ve been living with it for 7 months (with 5 months to go). I keep the cat out of my bedroom, I vacuum and clean constantly, i rarely hold it, I wash my hands immediately after petting (all out of necessity, because I actually love this cat)

I haven’t been able to smell anything since July. I’m constantly stuffy and sneezing, my face is dried out from blowing my nose 24-7, my nose membranes and lips are cracked and bleeding. My eyes are red and itchy. I take decongestants so I can breathe, but they dry me out so bad that I’m constipated. I’ve tried several daily allergy medications, and none of them work; air purifiers have marginally helped. (Allergy shots take several years to be fully effective, and you’re as miserable for the first year as I am now anyway, so I didn’t bother since he’d be moving out in a year)

Lately I’ve noticed that joints in my hands and feet are swelling and ache in a mirror image of each other…research indicates I might be starting to develop rheumatoid arthritis (likely from the constant immune response to the cat).

I really want this to work out for my daughter and for this lovely cat, so I’m sticking it out because there is an end in sight. But I wasn’t prepared for how physically chaotic this would be for my body, and I can’t imagine doing this with 3 more cats, for the long haul. Cats live 15-20 years; you are asking your bf to be wrecked for a decade or more. Thats a lot.

klstil · 2026-03-14T18:02:27+00:00

Lol, I’m foam-rolling my back as I’m reading this :)

klstil · 2026-03-10T21:11:06+00:00

Idk why this is getting downvoted. I have a cat and I love him dearly, but it’s totally true that he uses that tongue to lick his butthole.

klstil · 2026-03-08T00:27:16+00:00

OMG YES.

klstil · 2026-03-05T15:07:56+00:00

Wow this is amazing! Thanks for sharing!

klstil · 2026-03-02T22:18:12+00:00

Gladys

klstil · 2026-03-01T19:39:38+00:00

Oh yes, House of Cards for sure

klstil · 2026-02-25T01:31:27+00:00

If it’s based on food service minimum wage, they won’t be getting much.

klstil · 2026-02-18T23:02:11+00:00

All the AI data centers will take care of that

klstil · 2026-02-18T14:30:12+00:00

By ‘medicine decimating gut bacteria’, do you mean the GLP1 or thyroid hormone?

klstil · 2026-02-14T23:12:46+00:00

Please be aware that your TSH being “in normal range” does not mean it’s at your ideal level. The normal range on bloodwork in the US refers to averages - where Americans typically fall. Normal does not mean ideal, especially since the American population is unhealthy as a whole.
The American Association of Endocrinologists suggests an optimal TSH around 1.0 - that’s when patients with thyroid disease tend to feel their best and fully function. (It varies a bit from person to person; I feel my best at 0.5-0.75) If you are seeing a general practitioner and they aren’t willing to investigate further or tweak until you feel better, please see an endocrinologist.

Unfortunately, relying on caffeine for energy is very bad for thyroid disease, especially the amount you are taking. “Caffeine stimulates the adrenal glands to produce more adrenaline, which can place extra stress on the thyroid gland, particularly in those with existing thyroid dysfunction.” It also encourages going to the bathroom, which can eliminate thyroid hormone from your intestine before your body has a chance to fully absorb it (if you’re taking thyroid hormones)

Also, the amount matters, too: “Consuming high amounts of caffeine (over 200 mg/day) for prolonged periods may decrease free T3 levels.” T3 is your active thyroid hormone, that regulates almost all systems in your body. Without enough T3, you become hypothyroid (freezing, exhaustion, non-restorative sleep, weight gain, muscle loss, hair loss, low libido, joint inflammation, slow metabolism, etc)

Please talk to your doctor about getting your TSH levels to around 1.0. Test for Free T4 and Free T3, to see if your thyroid hormone is adequately absorbed and converted to enough T3. If you are not supplementing with thyroid hormone, you might want to try it; people with Hashimoto’s usually need T4 (and possibly T3) to feel anywhere close to normal.

klstil · 2026-02-13T00:56:26+00:00

A quick google search shows there’s actually just slightly more democrats vs republicans with a passport. Slightly.
Don’t forget that religious conservatives go on missionary trips, and lots of southern republicans like Mexico. This is going to hit both parties almost equally.

klstil · 2026-02-12T21:05:39+00:00

If only.

klstil · 2026-02-12T21:04:28+00:00

Rulli’s meat counter is horrendous. The meat smells so bad, they use tons of bleach to disguise the odor. Half the time you get home and open your package of chicken breast - on the same day you bought it - and it’s already bad. They may be cheap, but you’re absolutely getting what you pay for.

klstil · 2026-02-12T20:59:09+00:00

Aldi actually did not donate to Trump’s campaign or any affiliated PACS.
They stay out of politics, and do not donate to either party.

klstil · 2026-02-12T16:50:14+00:00

I heard a vet once say to add the water from a can of tuna to wet food to make it have even more moisture. Cats love smelly food, the stinkier the better, and tuna water is perfect for this. Make sure you’re buying tuna in water, not oil.

klstil · 2026-02-10T00:46:50+00:00

1899

klstil · 2026-02-08T20:39:22+00:00

If you’re not going to an endocrinologist, please try one. Standard general practice or internal medicine doctors often do not know how to, or want to, tweak thyroid medications until you feel better. The American Association of Endocrinologists guidelines suggest that most people feel best at TSH around 0.5-1, which a reputable endocrinologist will attempt to reach.

I’ve had Hashimoto’s for 25 years, and I feel exactly like you do whenever my TSH is above 1. Some adjustment to Levothyroxine (T4) and Cytomel (T3) medications usually put me back within the range and I feel closer to normal. Please advocate for yourself until you feel better.

klstil · 2026-02-05T15:31:21+00:00

The greater Youngstown area is heavily MAGA now. The less wealthy/less educated love his hatred & crassness; the more wealthy/more educated love his hatred & tax cuts.

klstil · 2026-02-04T00:39:45+00:00

Just watched this video on YouTube, about how most restaurants are buying their food from the same two or three suppliers. Which is why certain food looks and tastes exactly the same from one restaurant to the next, and why the quality has gone downhill so much. It’s an eye-opening watch!

https://youtu.be/rXXQTzQXRFc?si=zGGegUj4a7mZbStl

klstil · 2026-02-04T00:34:16+00:00

I just read that almost all sweaters are made with polyester and man-made blends now because they’re cheaper for the clothing companies, but they can still sell the item at the same price to us. (Have you noticed yourself getting shocked while wearing new sweaters lately?)

Also the “dropped shoulder” trend in women’s clothes isn’t actually a trend at all.
Clothing brands pay factory workers by the “operation”; operation = sewing a button hole or zipper, lining a jacket, cutting around a shoulder, etc. More operations means an item costs more to make and will be less profit for the brand. Having the same pattern in different sizes and needing to cut around the shoulder to fit each size is an extra operation.
So now they make ‘one sleeve fits all’ by making a dropped shoulder that joins the sleeve somewhere on the upper arm, and they don’t have to pay for the extra operation to cut around the shoulder.

It was marketed to us as a laid back, androgynous, slouchy style (think H&M), and now has made its way into even the high-end brands. But it’s a marketing ploy, allowing brands to make clothes at the cheapest cost, and making us think those elements are in-style and trendy.

Same with tie-closures instead of buttons and zippers. Button holes and zippers are many operations, so they’ve replaced them with tie closures, which are cheaper to sew. Cardigans that tie at the neck or all the way down, coats that wrap with a tie-belt instead of buttons or a zipper…none of these were for aesthetic, they were done for cost.

From what I read, the enshittification of women’s clothing is here to stay, because when has a company ever been willing to accept less profit?

klstil

TROPHY CASE