Stay or leave?

Future me would know what I was asking, and be able to answer wkth few words.

https://www.mumsnet.com/

Seconding this! Having the ability to get update alerts helps me remember to install them.

Unfortunately there are a lot of people, including other trans people, who will insist that even if it is a trans man. It mostly comes from radfem types that view trans men as ‘joining the enemy’, and they usually accuse femboy trans men of transitioning in order to selfishly escape society’s misogyny.

Source: me, a very femme transmasc person who has had this thrown at me both online and in person, even in queer spaces.

In today’s political climate, when there are several groups trying to paint China as completely and uniquely evil in every sense, it is important to note that similar actions have been taken by other nations against them.

Additionally, from the opposite angle, by providing examples of times when other nations did similar horrible things, it shows both that the information is plausible and that China definitely knows what the result of this will be. This arguably makes it even worse, given that they have seen the way that lives can be ruined by addiction and overdose when supplied with these substances.

The poster you replied to said nothing except stating the fact, and too many people don’t know their history and are apt to think that situations like this are only a part of modern history. If he brought up an unrelated bad thing someone had done, that would be derailing, but providing this information opens up some real discussion about how this happened and how to deal with it.

X, and sometimes other signs in the sand, mark the spot 😉

I was lucky enough to hear him play this live in Hunter Mountain, NY a few years back. I saw him, Tom Petty (RIP) and Steve Miller Band, all in one weekend, and (imo), Frampton put on the best show. It was a daytime show, it was raining, and he kept playing.

When he got to Black Hole Sun, he opened with a very heartfelt message about looking after each other and ourselves and getting help when we need it. And then, as he started to play and led everyone in singing the lyrics, the clouds split for one shining moment, and we had rain and sunlight pouring down on the whole area surrounding the stage.

One of the most memorable concert moments I have ever experienced. Thank you for sharing this and reminding me of that amazing moment.

As someone who has suffered from night terrors and other disturbingly vivid dreams, I would recommend starting to do “wake checks”.

Set an alarm on your phone to go off every few hours at random times during the day. When the alarm goes off, do something that produces a reliable result, like turning a light on/off, turning on a faucet, checking the time on a clock, or pinching yourself. Make your checks as varied as possible, and do them in a different order from day to day, because you don’t want the results to become part of a pattern.

Once you are in the habit of doing that, start doing those checks any time something ‘out of the norm’ happens. What ‘out of the norm’ means is up to you, but essentially any time you think that something is weird or out of place, do a check. What you are doing is training yourself to check whether you are in reality or not.

Once you start doing that, you will probably continue that habit when you end up in a dream. However, these checks will not produce reliable results when you do them in a dream. Turning on the faucet won’t make it give water, the time will change drastically, lights won’t turn on when you flip the switch, etc. These are now your cues to see if you are awake or not. If one of these things ever DOES start to give reliable results in a dream, stop using it immediately and substitute a different one.

Once you have a way of determining if you are awake or not, you have a way to wake up. Most people wake up after realizing they are in a dream, and even if you don’t, realizing you are dreaming should result in a massive shift in what is happening in the dream.

One warning though: if you have night terrors where you end up paralyzed, you will want to have a contingency plan. My night terrors usually started in a situation where I was unable to move, and that is the main reason I struggled with them for over a decade. The only thing that helped there was meditation where I would focus on “feeling” my fingers and toes and how they moved, and then getting myself in the habit of using that meditation as an anxiety response. Doing that in a dream will usually end up waking me up because it forces my brain to focus and eventually move my body irl.

Assuming that this would cover all past legal names as well (as I have had a grand total of four, different first and last names): still not a lot.

I have changed a lot since I first started posting things on the web, and I am embarrassed about some of the older stuff that I said before I learned more about certain subjects. But (as far as I can remember), the worst comments I ever made were ones in defence of outlawing abortion, and even those I never posted hate in.

So, given that those few comments are vastly outnumbered by my more recent comments explaining why my previous stance was nonsensical, I would probably have to be more afraid of someone threatening me for being a trans person who advocates for bodily autonomy as a basic and inalienable human right.

I would love to, and when I buy a house sometime in the future that is a major consideration for me. Unfortunately, right now I have to live where I can afford to. I have had to move almost every year since graduating college and have never been able to take that into consideration due to finances. Even now, hubby and I will likely be given his parents’ current house that is much further away from our friends, and we are taking the opportunity because we can’t afford not to.

If you are like me and looking for nice holiday lights that won’t hurt your eyes, check out Technology Connections on YouTube who has tested all the brands and found two that include soft blue lights! I am investing in them soon because I miss having colored lights.

Chalky foods (merengues, smartie candies, antacids, etc). I also hate the sound of chalk being used. It makes my teeth hurt.

Blue LEDs that aren’t properly balanced (they give me migraines)

Electricity whining (I can hear this almost anywhere inside)

Dense fleeces (they make me itchy regardless of material)

Turtlenecks (I feel like I am choking)

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/21/europe/suspect-germany-christmas-market-attack/index.html

Relevant part of the article: “In a now deleted feed on X apparently belonging to Taleb A., he made anti-Islam statements and self-identified as a Saudi dissident. He spoke openly about renouncing his Islamic faith, expressed sympathy for the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party and accused Germany of promoting the Islamization of the country.”

No, a bigot who followed Afd, Elon Musk, and other racists and spouted a bunch of Islamophobic BS on Twitter and other social media, according to all reliable reporting.

Great! When can I get one installed?

Semi-serious here. I have the absolute worst sense of direction and would be thrilled if I could get an update to fix it lol.

That’s amazing! Yeah, stuff like that varies by location. I am glad they have been able to help you with that.

Their pharmacy has been hit and miss for me, and I ultimately had to stop going there because they allowed their pharmacists to refuse to fill a script if they had a “moral objection”. This resulted in my usual location having their pharmacist refuse to fill my HRT script. That was years ago though, so they may have changed that?

At a local-ish chain called Tops, mostly. I live in Upstate New York if anyone wants to look them up. Pretty standard grocery with decent daily prices, and they still run weekly deals and coupons in the paper like most places used to do about 20 years ago. Even with my dietary restrictions, I can get most of my groceries there for a decent price.

Anything I don’t get there, I get at the other local brand called Wegmans. They are pricey, but have more specialty food, partnerships with local farms for really good seasonal produce, and some items that they have made for their own name-brand that are cheaper than the big name alternative.

I also make it a point to stop at farmers markets and the like throughout the year. Most of them have partnered with programs that allow you to use, and even double, your food stamps/EBT (I don’t use it but give rides to friends who do), and getting to connect with the local farmers is always nice.

As a trans man who is active in kink circles, this is one thing that I am constantly advocating for. The good news is that, as far as I can tell, men are more likely to listen and at least attempt to understand and embrace this than they have been in the past. Even compared to just a decade ago, more men are willing to investigate what they are attracted to in other people, regardless of gender, and much more appreciative of compliments from other men.

Thank you for sharing this. I will definitely be going through the other videos, and recommending this to others.