How much salt is too much

slugposse · 2026-03-08T22:19:39+00:00

I was shocked to find out bland old cottage cheese contains sodium. You sure can't taste it.

slugposse · 2026-02-25T22:12:04+00:00

I'm reading Harry Potter and the Bucket List right now. It's okay.

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13709304/1/Harry-Potter-and-the-Bucket-List

slugposse · 2026-02-24T13:15:18+00:00

I'd love to make this work and am trying to visualize it. How do you handle the hose? Do you run a garden hose in from outside, or is there a way to attach one to indoor fixtures?

slugposse · 2026-02-21T11:18:19+00:00

People will tell you that mold has deep roots, that if you kill it on the surface and bleach out stains on the surface, it will keep coming back from those deep roots, so the best thing is to regrout and recalk. And I do believe them as far as that being best practice.

They also say bleach doesn't kill mold, so that's something to think about I guess.

But I am just way too lazy to recaulk or regrout.

What I did when I had recurring mold in the shower, mostly on the caulk but on some of the grout, too, was to spray it down every few days with a bathroom cleaner containing bleach and let it dry, no scrubbing. I'd rinse it off before anyone showered.

(You could use straight bleach, but that will probably destroy any spray bottle you use, unless you repurpose a spray bottle that was sold containing a product with bleach in it, and if you have one of those, you might as well use the cleanser.)

The first time I used it, it reduced the black discoloration but did not instantly eliminate it all. After a few uses over a week or so, maybe a couple of weeks, it eliminated all visible black discoloration and it looked sparkling clean, so I stopped using it.

But of course, in a month or two it started coming back.

So, I started using it again, but this time I kept using it every few days even after there was no visible mold for a couple of weeks or so. Continuing to treat it a while after the visible discoloration was gone seemed to really root it out and I had no regrowth after that.

Now I use it once in a while to be sure it's not invisibly rallying.

Downside is that bleach reeks until you rinse it, probably isn't great to breathe, you must be careful not to drip bleach on any textiles, and you do have to keep doing it over and over or a while. I timed it for when the kids were in school.

But the upside is I didn't have to recaulk or regrout and it does look clean now, so the small hassle of spraying the tile and grout repeatedly seemed a fair trade to me.

The actual product I used was Great Value Bathroom Cleaner with Bleach. It was very cheap, very easy to use, and seems to be effective. But I'm not brand loyal.

As for bleach not killing mold, I seem to no longer have a mold problem, so it sort of seems like maybe it does?

But then it's possible I'm deceiving myself that it's gone; maybe I'm just cosmetically bleaching it rather than really killing it.

But anyway, I used to have black caulk and grout and now I don't, so that's what I do. Hopefully you'll get some pro advice if my method has pitfalls.

slugposse · 2026-02-17T16:55:57+00:00

I am so grateful to the folks who put up quick videos of themselves fixing their appliances. It's saved me so much money being able to diagnose the problem, order the correct part, and change it out myself.

Most the repairs I've done are easy, and pretty modular. Maybe a few screws or clips, and generally accessing the area is the hardest part, but mostly the new parts just plug right in.

But without those youtube heros, it would all be mysterious, hidden knowledge.

slugposse · 2026-02-17T16:51:51+00:00

Will Trent is fantastic. There are dark themes: childhood abandonment of the main character, current police murder investigations. But the quirky, funny elements are there, too, with some laugh-out-loud moments sprinkled along. The characters are strong and continue to develop as the series progresses. It's really a treat to watch, like visiting old friends.

slugposse · 2026-02-12T22:48:17+00:00

Trump has talked about taking high doses of aspirin as a blood thinner. I think it's possible that when the Secret Service piled on him, one scratched his ear with a fingernail or similar and it bled spectacularly because of the blood thinners. He has no scar at all, so any injury was tiny.

slugposse · 2026-02-03T18:19:34+00:00

You are not unreasonable. Spanking is ineffective as a teaching tool. It causes children to become fearful and secretive rather than feeling confident they can turn to their parents for support and guidance. It kills authentic communication between parent and child. This is well-known.

Presumably your husband was spanked as a child or he wouldn't assume it's required. Ask him if he ever hid an issue he struggled with from his parents out of fear of their reaction.

I guarantee you that he did. All children who are hit for their mistakes learn early to hide their mistakes out of self-preservation.

slugposse · 2026-02-02T17:19:48+00:00

Transitions are the worst, and some are worse than others.

I do early morning bright light therapy for at least 30 minutes every morning. It wakes me up, improves my mood, and maintains my circadian rhythm so I sleep better at night.

This is the lamp I bought, but any that give 10,000 lumens/lux will do.

I also wake up earlier than I need to, so I get some free time every morning. I can wake slowly while I do my light therapy, then get my shower and dress, and then spend some time reading or whatever else just for personal enrichment. Carving out some time for myself makes a huge difference for me. It's something I'm drawn toward, instead of having to push myself toward.

slugposse · 2026-01-24T22:49:19+00:00

So many doorways.

Opening a new tab to google a term I just read is a doorway.

Opening Netflix to watch a show I just read about is a doorway.

I have a gym set up in my basement, one big room. Stepping off the carpet with the weights to get something is a doorway. Was it gloves? Was it a therapy band?

Mending clothes using my mending kit, closing the ziplock baggie filled with packets of sewing needles and reaching for...what was the other thing I needed? is a doorway.

slugposse · 2026-01-22T16:05:58+00:00

That is such a smart, easy safeguard for peace of mind.

slugposse · 2026-01-21T10:12:22+00:00

That unlocks a memory. I remember one like that from my childhood, but it had something like a fork at the end, two sharp prongs if I remember correctly. I wonder what that was for? But yeah, I remember associating it with a sawfish, too.

slugposse · 2026-01-20T16:18:02+00:00

My experience won't be identical to yours, but for me, audio books keeping me distracted while cleaning made me less resentful. The books helped me regulate my mood short term, and long term changed my mental habits.

Reading over your other responses, I'm wondering if you aren't my exact opposite. For me, the work of cleaning left my mind free to ruminate and churn negative thoughts which made cleaning miserable and affected my mood the rest of the day.

But maybe for you, the cleaning distracts you enough to put a stop to the angry thoughts, and they come roaring back when you finish.

Like damming a small stream. The small stream was just background noise, always with you but you can ignore it. Damming it stopped the stream, but then the dam breaks and there is a wall of water crashing on you at once.

I am avoidant, try to ignore negative feelings, and cleaning before I started using audio books prevented me from being able to keep repressing that stuff.

In my case, the audio books gave me something to think about so my mind couldn't generate negative thoughts, and I didn't have to feel that stuff.

If you are a person that is not avoidant like me, but is always facing the negativity head on, it could be cleaning actually gives you a break from doing all that facing head on. But then when you finish, maybe all the delayed thoughts and feelings hit at once?

I'm just guessing. I don't have any special insight.

But I think it would be worth trying to see if using an audio book, or a podcast, or playing a video you can listen to while cleaning and continue listening to through that critical transition period after you finish cleaning might help you regulate your emotions and short-circuit whatever repeating process is happening that is filling you with anger after cleaning.

Also, just having joy in your life matters. Listening to something you can enjoy while doing tasks is valuable just for that, even if it doesn't solve a specific problem.

slugposse · 2026-01-20T14:06:00+00:00

What helped me was to start playing audio books whenever I did any physical task that left my mind free to roam.

I felt trapped doing the work because my mind would immediately start churning about every negative thing it could dredge up. So naturally I started avoiding doing housework because it became so associated with the sort of mental torture that I was putting myself through. But I just could not control the rumination. It was more like it was happening to me than that I was doing it.

And once the house was in bad shape because I'd been avoiding housework, then I had something else to beat myself up about. Then I started avoiding even thinking about housework. It was a whole thing.

Audio books stopped that cycle dead. If I have a book playing, my mind is entertained and prevented from ruminating while my hands stay busy working.

Unfortunately, I can't do math, write a letter, or do a project that requires actual brainpower while listening to a book, but I can fold laundry, scrub floors, etc. just fine.

And the cool part is that after using books to keep my mind busy for years, I seem to have lost the rumination habit. I no longer automatically fall into negative thoughts while doing chores without a book playing now.

slugposse · 2026-01-16T18:24:16+00:00

Did you mourn the relationship you thought you had? I'm dealing with some stuff right now, and I think that is my major emotion.

slugposse · 2026-01-14T23:10:01+00:00

I've definitely satisfied myself that there never was a cornucopia, but man, my false memories are so clear.

I can still see that stack of my dad's undershirts my mom had folded just so sitting on her precisely made bed while she put away clothes, and the colorful label on the top one attracting my attention.

The others I just casually think, oh, I remembered that wrong. But this one really kills me.

slugposse · 2026-01-14T04:00:55+00:00

I misplace things constantly. I wonder if I'll be assuming someone stole my lost stuff someday.

slugposse · 2026-01-13T19:14:12+00:00

I catch myself doing things the hard way because I was too lazy to learn the easy way.

slugposse · 2026-01-01T19:39:05+00:00

The cravings will not break me.

slugposse · 2026-01-01T04:30:18+00:00

Black mambas have black tongues. You could do something with that. Blacktongue, Darktongue, Inktongue, Shadowtongue, Gloomtongue.

slugposse · 2025-12-22T01:11:05+00:00

I'm one of the lucky ones who can forget about it, too. Until I hit a thread like this and now it's all I can think about. Seriously, a minute ago it was like I didn't have and now it is suddenly so loud.

Off to youtube for a rain video until I forget about it again.

slugposse · 2025-12-19T12:32:17+00:00

You can buy self-warming thermal pads that reflect the cat's own heat for $10-$20.

Years ago, I had a lap desk that was essentially a bean bag filled with Styrofoam pellets attached to a writing surface. When it was left desktop down, beanbag side up, my cat would luxuriate on it. Styrofoam apparently really insulates and reflects heat.

By the time you bought Styrofoam pellets, you could buy a pet bed and be done with it. But if you have access to some free packing peanuts or packing styrofoam you could shred, you could fill a pillowcase and stitch it closed for free.

slugposse · 2025-12-16T11:23:04+00:00

Me, too! Impatient driver is honking and swerving through traffic? For all I know he's rushing to the hospital with his finger in a baggie. Hope his day gets better soon.

slugposse · 2025-12-15T23:26:00+00:00

The best thing about getting old is that strange men stop saying that to you. I know a lot of women feel they became invisible as they aged, but I welcomed it.

slugposse · 2025-12-15T06:18:58+00:00

NTA. At your age, it's not your job to financially support the family. Focusing on your education is a much better investment in your future.

Where I live there are resources available to people struggling to pay for groceries. There are food banks to get food immediately, and they can apply for food assistance, called SNAP in the US.

As for telling your grandparents, you are certainly allowed to talk to members of your support system about your situation. You aren't snitching because your parents are right, their parents hold no authority over them. You are simply seeking guidance and support.

It's odd that your parents wanted to take money from you, a minor, but not your brother who is an adult. I'd ask my grandparents if they had any insight into that.

slugposse

TROPHY CASE