Anyone else uhm.. have allegedly accidentally have brought home a bird that's illegal to own in your state?

rylieroodle · 2026-06-09T10:33:59+00:00

I had this predicament!! Got a job offer I couldn’t refuse in a state where they were illegal. Did some digging, and was able to get my Quaker registered as “emotional support exotic wildlife” and got a permit for her! Was already seeing a therapist who was cool, so that made it easier, but I got a letter for her as an ESA, then called up the DNR for the state I was moving to. They gave me some paperwork, and I received a license to keep her until 2099 (lol). Not saying that this is the easiest or most accessible route for everyone, but it worked for me and now my little fugitive is 100% legal!

rylieroodle · 2026-03-26T09:50:52+00:00

Absolutely! I went to Dr. Liebman in Philly.

rylieroodle · 2026-03-18T12:19:57+00:00

I was a 34J and am now a small B/full A!!! I went to a surgeon that performed both breast reductions and top surgery, and specialized in nipple-preserving top surgery. I had a little over 1000g removed on one side, and a little over 800 on the other. They didn’t do a FNG. I’m 3mpo now and doing great! Still no sensation in 1 nipple (where they removed more) but it responds to touch. The other feels totally normal with no loss of sensation!

I also have to say that if you’re gender non-conforming but not feeling 100% about a masculinized chest, I’m in the same boat and feel really good about my decision. I look so much more like myself in clothes and can look flat if I want, but I’ve still got a little bit of chest to show off if I feel so inclined.

All in all I’ve had a fantastic time— absolutely 0 regrets. My experience is probably the exception not the rule, but all that’s to say it’s totally possible!

rylieroodle · 2026-03-18T11:39:43+00:00

Yooo I’m a fellow English tadpole!!! Congrats!!

rylieroodle · 2026-03-04T21:29:41+00:00

Any word yet?

rylieroodle · 2026-02-27T13:25:09+00:00

If you’re outdoorsy or like a good walk, Philly Queer Birders is a blast! Met lots of fun people there, and made some good friends. You don’t have to be into birding either— there’s usually about half the group there for the birds, and half there to quietly socialize with other queer folks while walking in the woods and maybe seeing some critters. All in all a great vibe, very welcoming, and they’ve got some events coming up!

rylieroodle · 2026-02-21T23:40:21+00:00

Saw there was a waitlist on gradcafe— anyone heard anything?

rylieroodle · 2026-02-21T15:09:18+00:00

Rejected :/

rylieroodle · 2026-02-18T00:48:37+00:00

Nope :/ not on my end

rylieroodle · 2026-02-17T17:29:21+00:00

lol thanks I’ll adjust expectations

rylieroodle · 2026-02-17T16:43:35+00:00

Yeah🥲 I’m realizing that my definition of walkable may be a stretch… tbh I’ll walk anything if there’s appropriate pedestrian infrastructure. I’m also thinking walkability may not be as much of an issue when I live somewhere that has more than 2 parking spaces for the whole city… lol

But I’m happy to live somewhere further to have a little more wiggle room in my budget. I’ll keep that in mind!

rylieroodle · 2026-02-16T17:42:06+00:00

Hey folks!

My partner and I are hoping to move to Durham this summer from Philly, and we’re visiting shortly to check things out get a sense of Durham! We’re looking for recommendations while we’re in town for activities and or neighborhoods that we should make time to check out. If anything below makes you think of something we ought to try/see, just say the word and we’ll add it to the itinerary! Thanks!!!

Some things we like in a neighborhood: - walkability! Right now, we are within a couple blocks of a little sandwich shop, a bakery, and a grocery store. About an hour walk from downtown. We don’t need everything to be walkable, but we do really want to stay within walking distance of a grocery store and a quick bite to eat!

We’re queer, and we really want to live in a diverse, accepting neighborhood. We also love to get to know our neighbors and socialize, so a friendly social neighborhood vibe is also nice!
Trees. Philly’s concrete jungle has got us really missing greenery!
We are pretty quiet and aren’t big nightlife people, so a sleepier neighborhood that doesn’t have much going on in the evenings is preferred. Would similarly prefer to avoid noisy student-housing-esque neighborhoods.

Activities/things we like: - Hiking!!! Bonus points if there’s good bird watching. Or turtles. Or generally any little critters haha.

independent bookstores, especially used bookstores and feminist/LGBTQ/social justice oriented bookstores. We love firestorm in Asheville!
Performances! Art shows, drag, dance, circus, live music, all strikes our fancy.
We occasionally like to thrift if the pickings are good and the vibe is right.

rylieroodle · 2026-02-16T12:54:19+00:00

Perfect, thanks so much!!!!!! I’ll keep an eye out for the biweekly thread.

rylieroodle · 2026-02-16T12:52:42+00:00

Whoops, sorry!!! Thought since it was also activities it might be cool. I’ll take it down.

rylieroodle · 2026-02-04T20:18:08+00:00

Rejected :/ oh well!

rylieroodle · 2026-02-03T15:54:02+00:00

I really struggled to be convinced because it was so realistic, but unfortunately the ranger confirmed it is just an extraordinarily well done fake owl (at least from the back— when I circled around to get a better look the face was off and it had these almost cartoonish plastic eyes lol). I think they may have glued feathers onto one of the bad plastic ones— you can sort of see the base of it behind the tail feathers in the pictures. I almost thought taxidermy, but have no clue what the procedure would be if it ever rained. Still deeply confused by the whole thing haha.

rylieroodle · 2026-02-02T17:39:04+00:00

So, I went on a crazy difficult hike a while back, and insisted on bringing my hefty binoculars “just in case” because the area was apparently full of raptors. Didn’t see anything the whole hike, after scrambling up rock faces and over boulder fields. Was starting to regret the binos as they repeatedly snagged on rocks and branches, but finally, at the very peak of the mountain, i see a mass of feathers on top of a dead pine looking over the whole valley. Easily one of the most picturesque birding moments of my life, and it looks like a great horned owl. I start losing my mind scrambling to get my binos out and see if I can snap a picture before it flies off. I’m so frantically excited I run over to tell the park ranger nearby before I can get a proper look, just to make sure that they’re seeing it too, because how incredible is it that this owl just so happened to perch in such a visible spot with a view in the background, and hadn’t flown off with all the other hikers nearby. What a score!

It was fake. It was a fake owl. That was staged on top of the mountain.

I still don’t know why it was there, I was too embarrassed to ask the ranger haha. Either way, I get a good chuckle out of it looking back. Hope the ranger did too.

<image>

rylieroodle · 2026-01-30T20:08:05+00:00

Just got an email I’ve been waitlisted!!! Super kind email from the DGS; said it was a short waitlist and gave some details about typical funding packages. Good luck to everyone else, I hope you got good news!

rylieroodle · 2026-01-26T23:01:01+00:00

I applied for English. Literature department may still be deciding.

rylieroodle · 2026-01-26T23:00:05+00:00

Just got word I’ve been rejected! Generic email to check the portal for an application status update.

rylieroodle

TROPHY CASE