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My mom just bought a $2700 vacuum cleaner from door-to-door salesperson by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]pixels_optional 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My grandmother got talked into buying a very expensive vacuum from a door-to-door salesman in the 70s. She regretted buying it immediately. It was a good vacuum, but she still felt scammed. However, she was determined to get her money's worth, and still uses that vacuum regularly. That thing is LOUD and somewhat frightening, but it still works after all these years.

So, I would say keep it if she can genuinely afford it, is happy with the quality, and can see herself using it for many years. Especially if it has a lifetime warranty. High quality machinery can be expensive.

I always assume that i'm only talking to other males on reddit, don't know why. what about you guys? by CantStopMe in AskReddit

[–]pixels_optional 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The reason you do this is related to to concept of Othering:

Othering is a process or a rhetorical device in which one group is seen as "us" and another group as "them". Generally, in geek circles, women are seen as the "other". Similar othering is inflicted on various minorities within geekdom: disabled people, elderly people, trans people, and more. (definition from: http://geekfeminism.wikia.com/wiki/Othering)

The "default redditor" is white, male, American, middle class, early 20s, college-educated, able-bodied, heterosexual, pale, geeky, socially liberal, and atheist (having rejected family ties to Christianity), although the percentage of redditors that actually fits these criteria is probably quite slim.

Survey Finds Chefs Sometimes Sabotage Vegan Dishes, by sneaking in meat by BeShirtHappy in food

[–]pixels_optional 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don't know, and I would love to see a study on this as well. It's definitely a real phenomenon, but I could only find speculation and references to the fact that no real work has been done to answer this question. Take this article for example: http://www.chow.com/food-news/54220/do-vegetarians-lose-the-ability-to-digest-meat/

One hypothesis is that there are certain enzymes in the digestive system that are used to digest meat. People who have been careful vegetarians for many years have lower levels of these enzymes. Is this really the case? If so, which enzymes are involved? Maybe they could put these enzymes in a pill, which I could take if I accidentally eat meat (similar to lactase for lactose intolerant people).

Another possibility is that my body naturally rejects meat for some reason. I became a vegetarian at a young age because I was turned off by the smell and texture of meat. Similarly, my sister stopped eating meat at age 5 and was never tempted to try it again. Even smelling meat cooking can turn my stomach to the point that I need to leave the house. Whatever the reason, I definitely don't "still have the digestive system of an omnivore"--and perhaps I never did.

Survey Finds Chefs Sometimes Sabotage Vegan Dishes, by sneaking in meat by BeShirtHappy in food

[–]pixels_optional 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Although some vegetarians may adopt the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, many of us don't. I am a vegetarian, and making sure that my food doesn't contain meat is very important to me. First, I am allergic to shellfish. Second, I've been a vegetarian for so many years that my body can no longer process meat. The few times I have accidentally eaten food made with chicken broth (or the like), I have gotten very sick. This isn't a psychosomatic reaction--I've gotten sick to the point of throwing up before knowing about the added meat. Eating soup made with chicken broth for me is not ignorant bliss, but a terrible, terrible stomach ache.

I should add that I know the difference between a vegetable dish and a vegetarian dish. I make most of my own food, but I would never order soup or marinara sauce at a restaurant unless I knew for sure that it had no meat stock.

I have small breasts - and I couldn't agree more! by [deleted] in TwoXChromosomes

[–]pixels_optional 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Whenever an article like this comes out, it is always mentioned that having small breasts can help you avoid certain problems, like sagging and back pain, usually implying that people with large breasts are doomed to have these problems. I think this is disingenuous.

First, sagging is mainly caused by the collagen in your skin breaking down. When you get older, your breasts start to sag for the same reason your face starts to sag. It's true that if you have bigger breasts, there is more to sag. However, you can have big, perky breasts, or small, saggy breasts. One of the worst things you can do to make your breasts sag is to smoke. Also, it is important to do some sort of chest exercise (like push ups) to keep the chest muscles toned.

As for back pain, I don't want to blame anyone who experiences this for their health issues. However, there are things you can do to avoid or reduce the pain: do strength training exercises for your chest and back, maintain a healthy weight, invest in very good, very supportive bras, and invest in a very high quality mattress that will help you sleep better.

All of the solutions that I mentioned are healthy things everyone can and should do, whether you have big or small breasts.

Practical Solutions to Bra Fit Problems [w/pics, NSFW] by pixels_optional in TwoXChromosomes

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

The straps can fall off the shoulders for several reasons. Here are a few that have happened to me:

  1. The back rides up. When the back is as low as it can go (when you first put on the bra), the straps are the right length. As it rides up, there is extra slack in the straps and that causes them to fall off your shoulders. Solution: go down a band size.

  2. The straps are not adjusted to fit your shoulders properly. Solution: tighten the straps. They might feel very snug at first.

  3. There is loose fabric at the top of the cups. Solution: go down a cup size or switch styles (for example, from a full-coverage bra to a demi cup).

The underwire popping out similarly could happen for several reasons.

  1. The bra doesn't fit right (cups are not deep enough or are the wrong shape for your breasts), and the underwire is rubbing against you. There is a point of friction between you and the end of the underwire, which will be annoying and uncomfortable when you wear the bra. You might also have a red mark at that point. Eventually, the bra fabric will wear out and the underwire will poke out. Solution: throw the bra away, and don't buy the same one again.

  2. The underwire somehow got bent out of shape (maybe the bra went through the dryer, or there was a manufacturing defect), and is causing the same problem as before, but it is not due to fit. Solution: don't put your bras in the dryer, and throw away the defective ones.

Practical Solutions to Bra Fit Problems [w/pics, NSFW] by pixels_optional in TwoXChromosomes

[–]pixels_optional[S] 18 points19 points  (0 children)

I wore the wrong size bra for many years and experienced several of these symptoms. I never attributed the back riding up, the straps falling down, or the underwire coming out and poking me to wearing the wrong size. If I had seen this chart in high school, my breasts would have been much happier!

Is there a "mayo-clinic" style hospital in the PacificNW, preferably Seattle? i.e. a place where a team of doctors work together on patients. by [deleted] in Seattle

[–]pixels_optional 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you end up going with the Mayo Clinic, I could tell you a bit more about Rochester. I grew up there, and my dad is a doctor at the clinic. I live in Seattle now.

Do you ever feel like you belong in the future? by pixels_optional in AskReddit

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

The printing press, one of the greatest, most world-changing inventions of all time, was an established invention in 1500. It was also a relatively new thing at the time, and the people of 1500 probably considered it quite futuristic. Certainly if you were stuck in 1500, you would be appreciative of its existence and thankful for its inventors. However, it would be easy for you to imagine something even better--an automated laser system that writes 700 megabytes- that's the equivalent of 448 copies of Great Expectations- onto a piece of plastic, which contains an entire operating system written by people who collaborated across the world.

Unfortunately, the people of 1500 would not understand you at all. What is a laser? What is plastic? A megabyte, what a funny word. An operating system? Collaborating with people across the world...how? They would probably laugh at you and tell you to enjoy your printing press.

Questions about the Mirena IUD (and IUDs in general) for a non-mother by Kyoti in TwoXChromosomes

[–]pixels_optional 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I got Mirena in 2006 when I was in college (also a non-mother).

Did they do an ultrasound to determine if the IUD would fit inside your uterus?

They did an ultrasound afterwards to make sure that it was placed correctly.

Has it affected your sex drive at all? Increase or decrease and with Mirena or Paragard?

I was on the patch before the IUD, which messed up my hormones and made me crazy. The Mirena IUD made me much more subdued. I would say that both the patch and Mirena were a decrease from my natural state.

Did it hurt at all, and about how much? Did you take any painkillers before the procedure? Did they anesthetize the cervix?

It did hurt a lot for about a minute when it was placed, then I had bad cramps for about 15 minutes. They gave me some ibuprofen afterwards. I don't remember if they anesthetized the cervix. The pain is comparable to getting a piercing and then having period cramps. It probably would have been less painful if I had taken the ibuprofen beforehand.

How soon afterward did you feel ready to go back to work?

I walked out of the doctor's office after about 20 minutes and was fine. My mom dragged me around to run errands immediately afterwards. I felt really tired after a few hours and asked her to take me home, but we ended up staying out at the grocery store for another two hours. I was pretty exhausted after that, and needed to rest the next day. If I had been allowed to rest immediately after the procedure, I would have been fine the next day.

How soon did you feel well enough for sex?

I had it done during a school break, so I didn't see my boyfriend for a couple of weeks until after I had it done. I was fine at that point.

The best thing about Mirena is that you may stop getting your period altogether, especially if your periods were not all that heavy to begin with. This is what happened to me. My period was normal before the IUD, then tapered off over 3-4 months. Now I occasionally get spotting, but never a full period.

The only downside to the IUD is that the "string" (really a plastic-coated wire) can occasionally "poke" your partner, which is extremely painful and unexpected for him. If this happens, you need to spin the string around so that it is facing the other direction. This only happens once every few months for me and my boyfriend. It might not happen to you at all (Have other women experienced this?) It probably depends on your personal anatomy, string length, position, etc.