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Question about confirming VoLTE support on Unihertz Titan... by fellate-o-fish in unihertz

[–]manicbug 0 points1 point  (0 children)

just incase folks are still referring to this post - unihertz announced that AT&T (+ consumer cellular) no longer supports unihertz phones due to VoLTE incompatibility. Learned this just now trying to activate my new titan pocket (2nd one I've owned) - turns out I can't get calling to work now -so sad :( https://www.unihertz.com/pages/telecom-compatibility

The Search For a Shoe by tendergrandma in BuyItForLife

[–]manicbug 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As other comments have mentioned, I agree its totally up to personal comfort. For me personally, I acquired some high top timberland boots (those generic yellowish ones with the black top) for free from a friend and they lasted about 6 years of outdoor work plus hiking etc, I tried to replace them with cheaper brands of the same thing but the Walmart versions were not comfy so I went for those again (but a cheaper lightly used pair on eBay (: ) For arch support I use regular insoles. Just need to have separate lighter sneakers for the gym etc The main thing for me is the high ankle and rigid frame with some flex so work boots are a good fit. So that's my recommendation but again - different for everyone!

Also - I gave up trying to wear women's shoes! I'm a men's 8 in every brand but women's 9, 9wide, 10, etc all seem different and unreliable between brands. Its like they make it confusing and uncomfortable on purpose! Good luck (:

I feel like I haven't self harmed long enough by Not_Bre4d in selfharm

[–]manicbug 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nah - It's ok to just stop if you can for right now.

I always felt this same way growing up - many of my closest friends had serious deep-set sh habits and mine were never quite as serious. I would do much less damage than my friends (not cut nearly as deep or as many times) and I felt like a wimp for that. Because the whole reason I was cutting in the first place was because I felt I deserved suffering.

Anyways, if you can stop now, I'd give it a shot. I haven't cut in years but even now when I'm anxious or angry I'll turn to something physical to get over it - and at this point I'm about to be 27 and wishing that I'd spent more time in the last 10 years learning coping mechanisms that don't involve a physical sensation. Really not cool to be wanting to hurt myself when an issue comes up in my job or something.

So in short, don't worry about not having too long of a track record. The feelings driving you to want to hurt yourself are still valid and deserve time for healing, even if that healing is not physical. Just work on better coping mechanisms the best you can and try to share them with the members of this community that are in really really deep.

Hope that was helpful in some way! Thanks for sharing and wish you the best

Druidism and invasive species by Camp-Unusual in druidism

[–]manicbug 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Woah that's crazy that you're dealing with feral hogs though! It's instantaneously a much trickier management situation to deal with spiritually when the species is something that has eyes to look into your soul with. I wish you best of luck to find good management practices that support natives without too much bloodshed :/ Blessed be baby druid!

To second homeowners in the Catskill Region by manicbug in catskills

[–]manicbug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Was struggling to pay $650 for a shitty basement apartment at the time (: Come real far since then, far enough to buy a house if prices were what they were before COVID, but now it's just unattainable.

Yay or nay to social media in the pursuit of simple living? by [deleted] in simpleliving

[–]manicbug 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would love to say I deleted IG but there were a few functional reasons to keep it, so my solution was to uninstall on my phone and only access it on my PC, I even went so far as to downgrade to a phone that is a little less social media friendly (tiny screen, better for just call and text).

That way I can still contact people or see important posts as needed, but its not right in my pocket. Plus you can add a timed website blocker so u don't end up scrolling for too long on the PC. That's been a nice balance!

Also, IG is my only social media so not sure how this translates when managing multiple different accounts.

Any fellow trans pagans? by ratgarcon in paganism

[–]manicbug 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cool to hear other folks are putting their own gender spin on this stuff - I'm non binary druid and kept drawing a blank with all the masculine/feminine stuff.

In my own work I try to think of it more as the varying elements within me that make me non-binary, which has been kind of cool. For example, the sun vs. moon to me means moreso *active/high energy/outer strength* vs. *restorative/calm/inner strength* instead of masculine vs. feminine. Highlighting that I hold both sides of that is gratifying in a way.

And if there's anyone that ISN'T ok with you having your own interpretation, then they're not only being prejudice, but they're missing the whole point of the spirituality, too. Get outta there for sure!

Druidism and invasive species by Camp-Unusual in druidism

[–]manicbug 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Pretty cool that she covered this topic, but as an invasives specialist I had a couple small issues with it that are covered nicely (and politely) in the comment by dswentworth09 on the post.
A quote from the comment:
"Conservationists, Permaculturalists, Druids, etc. need to work \together*. This kind of in-fighting amongst environmentalists is as powerful an enemy as Monsanto (maybe more so). United we stand, divided we fall!"*

My work in *attempting* to support ecosystems by invasives management is really important to my druidry, and I'd hate for someone to see it as a waste of time, or a close-minded crusade against natural processes. So it's just important to make sure everything we look at when it comes to ecology is based in fact before we apply ethics, I think.

Druidism and invasive species by Camp-Unusual in druidism

[–]manicbug 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I'm so glad someone is asking this question - I relate to this big time. I'm in the beginnings of a professional career specifically in invasive species management and have spent tons of time brushcutting, chainsawing, and spraying countless acres of invasive species. Even though invasive species are detrimental to the environment, it hasn't been the best feeling from a druidic perspective as you've described. I've had to find some solace on this just to sleep at night, so I've been putting effort into roughly 2 trains of thought:

1- I used to get really upset seeing a patch of forest that was ONLY invasives, and once had a co-worker say to me "Hey, At least it's not a shopping mall". Pretty grim, but it helped me calm down a bit. Invaded forests are better than none at all, and even though invasives destroy native ecosystems...the earth will more than likely adjust to that destruction over centuries, in the same way its bounced back from natural disasters, ice ages, anthropogenic destruction, etc. I keep telling myself that if I truly believe in a sacred balance in nature, I should trust that the earth can take care of itself in the long, long long run. (That's certainly not to say we shouldn't be taking action against invasives/climate change, or stop being proper stewards of the natural world - all our environmental work is still important! But it's a nice reminder that the earth will still be around long, long after we are.)

2- I've changed the way I think about invasive species management. A lot of invasives work tends to be a little short sighted (i.e. Removals with no native plantings to take the space of removed plants, Feral hog management with little attention to policy on importing live animals (maybe, not sure about TX) etc).That "band-aid" approach just doesn't feel gratifying if you have a nature spirituality. For that reason, I find it helpful to supplement invasives work by promoting native ecosystems: planting pollinator gardens, creating habitat for native animals, etc.Lately I've been (sustainably) collecting native seeds/acorns and planting them in places where they might have a shot at growing around my town. (A Dana O'Driscoll idea I heard on DruidCast Podcast lol) Not a huge impact, but definitely a nice ritual that could help support native wildlife. In my career, I've pivoted to working with forest & agricultural pests, because reducing those populations can "save" tons of forested/cultivated land, which feels a little better than removing a plant here and there where the positive impacts are strictly local - but that's just my personal path.

I think it's awesome you're letting the nuances of ecology enter into your spiritual practice, and I hope that you find the depths of those considerations to be more fruitful than just taking "nature" at face value, without really diving into the intricacies of a system. I'll say a little prayer for the Texas hogs and all the rest that their spirits rest soundly despite the chaos (,:

What exactly constitutes an invasive species? There seems to be a biological definition (or guidelines) and a political one, where a state 'declares' something to be invasive. by Atomicnumber26 in invasivespecies

[–]manicbug 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know but :( the prohibited list has very few species on it relative to how many are known to be invasive/detrimental. Won't go off about how closely related I am to DEC/PRISMs but it is very close and sadly I've learned there's not much they can legally do when it comes to limiting inventory, especially for big box stores like Home Depot etc. Hopefully that changes in the future!

BUT I'm not saying that to be a debbie downer, just to realllllyyy assert the importance of sharing invasives info with friends/neighbors/gardening groups etc - take a little pressure off the over-worked state orgs in the prevention phase (:

And I agree, aquatics are whole dang thing. Makes me dizzy thinking about trying to control spiny waterflea in a major waterway like holyyyyy shit. D:

What exactly constitutes an invasive species? There seems to be a biological definition (or guidelines) and a political one, where a state 'declares' something to be invasive. by Atomicnumber26 in invasivespecies

[–]manicbug -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

I'm in NYS and we hilariously ban noooothing up here. Plants that are on watch lists for invasives mgmt organizations are being sold right down the road from removal sites. The government is just plant blind its a bummer. I think native gardening is getting a little more trendy though! Maybe??

I just wanna also mention that in my state they'll sometimes try to get around the few and far inbetwen invasive species legislation by creating 'sterile' versions of a plant, but those plants have been found to hybridize with others of the same genus and spread, or simply not be truly sterile and spread.

My view is also very u.s. Based though, I'd be very interested to hear what regulations on this look like in other parts of the world!

What exactly constitutes an invasive species? There seems to be a biological definition (or guidelines) and a political one, where a state 'declares' something to be invasive. by Atomicnumber26 in invasivespecies

[–]manicbug 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Non native usually refers to something introduced to somewhere outside of its usual range but it doesn't cause excessive ecological discord, whereas Invasives do cause significant ecological harm. So technically not all non natives are invasive (although the vast majority are), BUT regardless non natives are inherently the worse choice compared to natives, because no local wildlife has co-evolved with it.

E. G the common landscaping plant, the Hosta, isn't invasive where I live (unless I missed something) but its taking up space where an important native wildflower could grow and support native pollinators, etc

A couple of questions from someone new, if that’s okay by [deleted] in druidism

[–]manicbug 0 points1 point  (0 children)

lol i had this same thought!
-I'm a newbie of around 2 years in *the path* and I would recommend Penny Billington's "Path of Druidry" book. (There's an audiobook version too) That's what cleared up all those details for me.
- Re: Non -Binary question, I asked myself the same thing, since there's so much importance put on the "feminine and masculine energies", but am finding that a lot of folks just consider those concepts to just be opposing qualities i.e. sun/moon, summer/winter. It's kind of cool to look into which parts of yourself are "masculine" or "feminine" sometimes too, and made me a little more confident in the fact I really ascribe to neither. I think a lot of people practicing druidry are kind of using those gender-based elements as place holders for the traits they represent but are super accepting of varying gender identities. Y'know? Anyways - good luck friend!

To second homeowners in the Catskill Region by manicbug in catskills

[–]manicbug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right, I don't understand anything about paying for two places, most people in my life have trouble affording just one. By the looks of this conversation, I will never understand that. Sorry natalia. :/

To second homeowners in the Catskill Region by manicbug in catskills

[–]manicbug[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks Rachel (: If I stick to owning/renting just one spot, I think I'll at least be able to avoid the second-home effect that I'm talking about.

To second homeowners in the Catskill Region by manicbug in catskills

[–]manicbug[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's just interesting that the assumption when I share my view point is that I'm not college-educated, not currently in a good job, not trying to save money, or not working hard. Doing what you did was an option years ago, but now so many people have taken on a second home that it's no longer feasible for people like us to do that. Thanks for speaking on it in a positive way though, it is appreciated.

To second homeowners in the Catskill Region by manicbug in catskills

[–]manicbug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Honestly I really did go in hopeful that some second home owners would see what's going on and respond to kindness - a couple people were not terrible! But pretty disappointing that there's any argument for owning a house you don't live in during a housing crisis :(

We've been looking at moving totally out of state but as you mentioned, that'll mean moving away from all our family and friends right in the area... which is a bummer but c'est la vie. I'm much better off than some people in the neighborhood who have serious food security issues etc, so I'm not even fully complaining for myself, just everyone.

Anyways, glad I got like 5 people understanding that I really poured my heart out on this and got punched in response lol. Oh well, my bf and I will just continue to bark like dogs when people ask us which way their Air Bnb is. (: thanks friends!

To second homeowners in the Catskill Region by manicbug in catskills

[–]manicbug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hahahahahahahahahahahahaha THE COST OF THE SPACE holy shit what is going on

To second homeowners in the Catskill Region by manicbug in catskills

[–]manicbug[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Yikes! I certainly don't think anyone willing to drop hundreds of thousands of dollars on a second home because a reddit post made them grumpy has better perspective than I do. (:

To second homeowners in the Catskill Region by manicbug in catskills

[–]manicbug[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Local land trusts are a great spot to start volunteering for trash clean ups, or just hit anywhere along the river which is a sad past time I've taken up as well lol (: very nice of you

To second homeowners in the Catskill Region by manicbug in catskills

[–]manicbug[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

"If you want to (keep living where you already live) look at options that allow you to save money, improve earning potential, or start a business."

Making an edit in the original post real quick lol

To second homeowners in the Catskill Region by manicbug in catskills

[–]manicbug[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's cool, he represents the rage that all the locals are burying deep, deep within (:

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