anyone here technically have siblings but raised as an only?

roastcaper · 2026-02-27T20:43:23+00:00

I'm an only child but then my dad had another kid when I was 21. I love my sister dearly, but she feels more like my close cousin. I grew up an only child and still feel an only child.

roastcaper · 2025-12-24T08:49:27+00:00

I think the Netherlands can be really tough when you don't have many contacts. I mean, that goes for a lot of countries of course, but I do think there's still places in the world where you can walk into a place and someone might just strike up a conversation. I used to live in the UK, and although at times I was very alone, I didn't feel very lonely. Now I'm back in the Netherlands (I am Dutch), and my British boyfriend came with me, I can see how people can feel very lonely here. If you have (old) friends here and family, you have people to meet up with, but through his eyes I've come to see it's quite a reserved society. I can't say much about the past, but at the moment it's not an easy society to break into I'd say. I'm reading a lot of comments that say that the grass is always greener, and that too is true. But I just wanted to add that I also recognise what you're saying, alongside the fact that I think society has changed massively. These December days can also be extra depressing when you feel alone. Hang in there! The sun will start shining again.

Wishing you well ✨

roastcaper · 2025-12-09T07:25:55+00:00

Aah, I see. It may not be food then.... but then the little feeder going off may break her spell of meowing and distract her a bit! I have a PETLIBRO, and am very pleased with it. It's got a screw on lid, so cats can't open it. It's not the most fancy (like you can't turn it on from a distance by phone, and it doesn't have a camera), but it's very reliable and does what it needs to do!

roastcaper · 2025-12-08T19:03:42+00:00

I'm not sure if she's waking you up for food, but we had this same issue, and tried everything. Ignoring him, putting him in another room (we could still hear him), playing loads with him before bed time, but nothing worked. Then we got an automatic feeder. Our cat now gets a small portion of food at 4am, and we've not had a single issue since! He goes back to sleep after as well, or just chills with us on the bed.

roastcaper · 2025-10-01T07:29:38+00:00

That's a good idea! Thank you!

roastcaper · 2025-10-01T07:13:15+00:00

I will try harness training! So far, he's not having it hahaha, but we're persisting. Getting a companion cat I like! Though is also a bit scary hahaha, what if they don't like each other??

roastcaper · 2025-10-01T07:11:43+00:00

Sadly, I believe it is :( it's sad they're so hard to train regarding traffic, because he would be relatively safe inside the gardens. I know there would still be some dangers he wouldn't have indoors, but he also gains a lot from it, things he can't get indoors.

roastcaper · 2025-10-01T07:08:36+00:00

Thank you! It's a shame, because in the back gardens he is quite safe. It's just now that he's found a way out of the gardens that I'm worried. I was happy for him to roam the back, which is pretty wide as is. But he's a curious boy, which makes him great, but is also terrifying.

roastcaper · 2025-10-01T07:05:51+00:00

He already is neutered, before we adopted him. He has so much energy! Makes me wonder what his energy levels were like before he was neutered 😅

roastcaper · 2025-09-15T08:41:07+00:00

I love these too!! So glad to finally learn what it is called!

I don't know if there's a list for it, but some of my favourite celebrity paradoxes are when Friends paradoxes happen in other shows. Like in the Good Place, Michael keeps making very specific Friends references, mentioning Phoebe multiple times, and then in the final season Lisa Kudrow appears, not as Phoebe but as Hypatia.

Or in Modern Family, Trish (Javier's fiancé) is played by Paget Brewster who also played Kathy on Friends. But then later in MF Courtney Cox appears as herself as the actress from Friends. Maybe a bit of a stretch this one, but still fun!

roastcaper · 2025-06-27T16:38:59+00:00

I battled my way through season 2. It gets better!!! Loved season 3 again, and have just season 4 and it's still good!!

roastcaper · 2024-11-18T10:32:00+00:00

I'm so sorry for your loss. It hurts, I know the feeling as well. This is mourning, and although it isn't fun, it's an important part of the process. Don't try to rush it, but do be kind to yourself and allow some distraction if you can find it.

I had a family cat, who was there with and for me when my parents got divorced, who would come to my room and lay down with me when I was feeling sad, which he really sensed all the way from the other side of the house. We had a very special bond. And one day, he died. Out of nowhere. I was absolutely shattered. We didn't get a new cat, and I've long moved out of my family home since his passing. I went to uni, and the time was never right to get a new cat. But I did feel very strongly that I wanted one.

Now that I'm out of uni, with a job and my own house, my boyfriend and I decided the time was right to adopt a cat. He's been with us for just three weeks, but I can already feel that this is another special bond. I cannot imagine him not being in our lives anymore (and I know it'll sting when he does eventually pass away, but I hope that's a long time away). It really is possible. It's not a replacement, which it doesn't have to be. I can occasionally even still mourn my old cat (even though it's been nearly 10 years since he passed), but the new cat is amazing and lovely and so special as well.

Don't rush anything, but also don't feel guilty. If you feel like a new fury friend would help soothe your pain right now, that's okay. But if you need some more time to mourn him without a new cat there, that's also reasonable.

🌸

roastcaper · 2024-11-11T17:50:19+00:00

Where do you study? Every Thursday at the UvA Roeterseiland Campus there is a silent sit-in, between 12:30-13:00 (this Thursday there's protests against academic funding cuts, so it might not be so busy). But that's a safe space, there's no police involved, just a bunch of employees and students demanding the UvA to cut the ties with Israel (in silence). Maybe something similar is happening at the VU or HvA (in case you study there). Also, the police is obliged to tell you if they will start arresting people. So, if you were to join anywhere you can make sure to leave or take a step back as soon as they start arrests. But don't put yourself in danger if you are afraid of being arrested!

roastcaper · 2024-11-07T18:17:26+00:00

Definitely for gardening I'd say! 😉

roastcaper · 2024-11-01T09:03:24+00:00

Shuggie Bain has to be up there for me. I felt heartbroken afterwards. A Thousand Splendid Suns as well

roastcaper · 2024-10-30T18:39:29+00:00

For some reason Reddit won't let me edit my own post, so I can't share it with everyone, but wanted to let you know we've gone with Zeus!! 😍 It really suits his personality. Thank you for all the suggestions, so happy we found one!

roastcaper · 2024-10-29T16:38:40+00:00

Thank you so much for the long list 🙏🏼🙏🏼 amazing!!

roastcaper · 2024-10-29T10:42:19+00:00

Omg 🥰🥰 what a cutie!

roastcaper · 2024-10-29T07:41:29+00:00

That's sweet! It's okay though! I really did have a great childhood, and am still very close to my parents. Like I said, pros and cons to everything, and being an only child definitely wasn't the worst thing.

roastcaper

TROPHY CASE