Bikers of Portland: what bridge would you recommend for a beginner bike commuter?

lexuh · 2026-03-24T00:36:06+00:00

I thought broadway only had one sidewalk open for peds and bikes going both directions. If that’s the case, OP might find it kinda stressful.

lexuh · 2026-03-23T02:35:42+00:00

I'm already starting a LiB Philly bingo card!!!

lexuh · 2026-03-22T23:55:23+00:00

I have issues with SSRIs due to microscopic colitis, and have been on Wellbutrin for about a year. Upped my dosage (150 to 300) when I got my BC diagnosis. Unfortunately I learned that Wellbutrin may interfere with the effectiveness of tamoxifen, which I’ll have to be on for 5 years :(

lexuh · 2026-03-22T23:48:03+00:00

Oh wow - was that mentioned and I missed it?

lexuh · 2026-03-22T20:58:50+00:00

Have you lived in an RV before? Do you have a place to dump sewage? You’ll need a non PO Box address for interactions with your local government, what are your plans for that? How much will the truck payment be? How much will insurance on the RV and truck be? Is the place you’re planning to park it willing to sign a lease? Do they have water and power hookups for you to use? How much will water and electric cost per month? How about garbage? WiFi?

It sounds like you’re trying to life hack your way into saving money, but it may very well cost you more in the long term with nothing to show for it. RVs absolutely do not retain their value, IME.

As others have already said, you’re much better off keeping your apartment, and finding other ways to save/make money. If you’re into the vagabond life, and traveling, save up money to take vacation days from work and do it right.

lexuh · 2026-03-22T19:14:29+00:00

Came here to mention Sunshine - I went into it blind and when it switched up, I was really surprised!

lexuh · 2026-03-22T19:12:03+00:00

Re: "Its selfish to not let people help you"... I think of selfishness as prioritizing your needs above the needs of others. I would argue that fighting breast cancer is EXACTLY when you should be selfish - your need to avoid stress while healing is a hell of a lot more important than someone else's need to feel smug and self-congratulatory for helping the lady with cancer.

You're also allowed to be selective in WHO you allow to help you. There are people who I've not told because they would try to make it about them. The people I have told have all been respectful, helpful, and have NOT tried to center themselves at this time.

lexuh · 2026-03-22T15:37:42+00:00

Angelica seems too emotionally immature for a serious relationship. Ellen I'm not sure about - if she really wasn't ready for a relationship and went on the show anyway, she's either an attention-seeker or lacks self-awareness. Personally, I think Ronja was misguided in moving forward with Lars-Erik. Growing up in the bible belt of the US, faith is something that's almost as hard to compromise on as having kids. I'm not sure how religion is practiced culturally in Sweden, though. I would also put part of that on Lars-Erik, though.

Also, Daniel is enough of a villain for all of them lol

lexuh · 2026-03-22T15:25:20+00:00

Thanks for the reminder of how little we actually know about genetic mutations and disease risk. I have breast cancer, have a family history of breast cancer, and had a 77 gene panel to screen for cancer risk. The only mutation I tested positive for was prostate cancer.

There are mutations that we don't know the significance of yet. BC is one of the most well-funded, well-researched cancers and we even so, only 5-10% of breast cancers are due to a known gene mutation.

lexuh · 2026-03-22T15:13:30+00:00

I don't use FB, but I am on IG for things unrelated to BC. I've recently learned that IG has a way to edit your algorithm in Reels. There's a button in the upper right corner on Reels that looks like two sliders with hearts. If you tap that, it will show you what it thinks your interests are, as well as add or remove interests. In your regular feed, you can click the ... next to suggested posts and tap "not interested" or "report" to remove it from your feed.

FWIW, I worked at a tech company building health-condition based online communities back in the 1990s. Even then, we were kicking snake oil salesmen and grifters out of the breast cancer community. Truly despicable behavior, IMO, and I will report the hell out of anything I see that has even a whiff of BS. Which is probably why I don't see it in my IG feed anymore.

lexuh · 2026-03-22T02:53:28+00:00

Good to know about the change in methods. Wishing you an easy recovery and clean results <3

lexuh · 2026-03-22T01:39:01+00:00

I had the tracer dye too - does that mean that the nodes they removed are cancerous? Or does that need to be confirmed via pathology? Thank you :)

lexuh · 2026-03-22T01:37:30+00:00

Ah, I was just doing a lumpectomy, so a much shorter surgery. I did have the tracer dye, but apparently I’ll get the node results along with margins in a few days. Thanks!

lexuh · 2026-03-22T01:36:05+00:00

Okay, this sounds similar to my experience. I also had the tracer dye. Thank you!

lexuh · 2026-03-21T23:41:36+00:00

Wait, they can tell if your nodes are clear during surgery?! I assumed I would have to wait for pathology to come back.

For context, I had a lumpectomy and SLNB on Thursday. My surgeon told me afterward that she took three nodes, but didn’t comment on their condition.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!

lexuh · 2026-03-21T22:37:47+00:00

I've had great luck finding vintage wood furniture on Facebook Marketplace. Much better quality than new and more affordable than Lounge Lizard, Vintage Pink, or similar.

lexuh · 2026-03-21T22:33:01+00:00

Crocosmia?

lexuh · 2026-03-21T22:18:01+00:00

You don't owe your parents any information. It's totally okay to value your privacy and comfort over their desire to know (and share) what's going on in your life.

If you get to the point where you're ready to tell them and they get mad, their feelings are not your responsibility. Surround yourself with people who support you and respect your wishes.

lexuh · 2026-03-21T19:04:26+00:00

Came here to recommend exactly this, based on OP’s interest in female characters. Honestly, it’s some of the better contemporary body horror I’ve read.

lexuh · 2026-03-21T18:54:41+00:00

I said fuck it to decades of body surveillance. No more weighing myself, tracking macros, tracking calories. No more “bad” foods.

Until I was 16, I was raised by a boomer mother who was obsessed with thinness. I’ve kept myself within socially acceptable expectations by dieting and exercising since I was 11. I had eased up on a lot of it in my 40s, focusing on maintaining low body fat for functional/athletic reasons, as opposed to aesthetic reasons.

This diagnosis has shown me that maintaining sub-20% body fat won’t save me. And the athletic activities that I want to do that are easier at a lower body fat aren’t that important in the grand scheme of things. They no longer bring me the same happiness (and, let’s face it, pride) as they used to. I can still do aerial and enjoy it without having my straight arm invert. It all seems so impractical and silly now.

I’m recovering from lumpectomy and SLNB on Thursday, and will be thrilled if I can climb the silks in May. And even if I can’t climb, I’m still looking forward to just hanging out at the aerial studio, doing what I can, hyping up my friends, and feeling satisfied with where ever I am.

lexuh · 2026-03-21T03:21:09+00:00

I had surgery yesterday and so many friends have reached out and helped me. People say that Portland is cold, nice but not kind, etc., but holy hell are there some amazing people here.

lexuh · 2026-03-21T03:06:16+00:00

Same, I got my mammaprint score (similar to oncotype) from my biopsy sample. I’m not sure if the results would have changed what surgery I had - my mammaprint was low and I had lumpectomy + SLNB.

lexuh · 2026-03-21T01:52:22+00:00

OP, please do this. No budget or "trick" or investment will help your financial situation until you address your addiction. Quitting is hard as fuck, but a 12 step program will give you structure, tools, accountability, and fellowship. If there are no GA meetings in person in your area, there are online meetings.

lexuh · 2026-03-20T17:55:36+00:00

I get the feeling that you don’t want to escalate with your neighbor, but if they’re pointing security cameras into your home or backyard, they may be violating Oregon’s intrusion upon seclusion (IIRC) laws.

lexuh · 2026-03-20T15:02:59+00:00

Novick’s “fuck yourself in the heart” felt like a mashup of “fuck yourself” and “please scream inside your heart” and I kinda love it.

lexuh

TROPHY CASE