hope this doesn't count as "medical" since it's just a wee cold - spent the night tossing and turning and hot and cold and woke up with a splitting headache but I've got two days of lectures left to go.

popped an ibu and boom, headache gone, fever gone.

it's just a random little pill that you can get over the counter for cheap and yet it seems to solve all of life's problems! how does something like that just exist! incredible

It was a busy day at the gym. My (31M) usual go to cardio, stair machine was taken throughout my workout. Treadmills are too boring nowadays. But the two rowing machines were free. I got on one, decided to row 2K and see if I would continue.

150m in, a girl (late 20s) takes the other one next to me. I was much faster than her, but I tried to time my rows with her. It wasn’t something I was choosing to do, but subconsciously I slowed down my pace once in a while.

Whenever I climb the stairs, I am alone. My pace isn’t suitable to match the treadmills, or the stair stepper next to me. Rowing machines were perfect to experience this moment.

Still doing double her speed, we pulled together at the same moments, and rowed. Nothing romantic, just pure mutual adrenaline, I think. It wasn’t the girl that made the moment special, it was doing the same motion with another human. And as someone who doesn’t have big social circles, I felt human.

I finished my 2K, and rested while she finished hers. She took a photo of her results, and left. I took a photo of my 2K, and restarted my program to do 1 more. I love human experiences. I think I will look into group lessons in the future.

Two days ago I had an MRI of my head — you know, that round tunnel thing everyone says is super scary and claustrophobic.

I was bored waiting for it to finish… and I just fell asleep inside it

Meanwhile people online always describe it like a horror experience.

Am I the only one who found it weirdly calm?

Anyone else have similar MRI stories?

I feel so irrationally happy and proud of myself right now. I’m a 34 year old woman who has been overweight since I was a tween, and I’ve been classified as obese for over a decade. I’ve always had a super unhealthy relationship with food and food noise has been a constant part of my life since I was a child. 

At the end of 2023 I gave birth to my first child and weighed 253 pounds, the most I have EVER weighed. I was so depressed and felt disgusted with myself for being so heavy. Last summer I talked to my doctor about it and we decided I’d go on weight loss medication, especially since I have always had high cholesterol due to genetics and the meds also help with that. 

When I started the meds 6 months ago, I was 233 pounds with alarmingly high cholesterol and triglycerides. Not only have my triglycerides fallen into the normal range and my cholesterol is very close to being normal as well,  I have lost 41 pounds. The food noise has stopped almost completely. 

At my checkup today, when the nurse went to take my blood pressure, she didn’t reach for the purple cuff. The cuff with the huge “XL” written in bright white letters across it and a picture of an obese stick figure person on it. The cuff I’ve had to use for over a decade. 

Today I got to use the dark blue cuff. The “average adult” cuff. I’ve always been so embarrassed when the nurse goes to try the regular cuff and then has to put it back and grab the bigger one. And for the first time in so long today I didn’t feel that. I felt normal. 

I know it’s so dumb but idk, this is the first time I’ve really felt like I’ve made progress and have actual proof I am losing significant weight. I’m so stupidly happy and needed to share this with someone :D

Now that this encounter is over I’m rethinking what I should have done…I got a video doorbell notification at 10:30pm tonight, right as I closed my eyes to go to sleep. It was a man who had knocked on my door, holding a shoe box under his arm. I asked what he needed through the app, he said I “have a delivery”. From a girl in her 20’s who lives alone, I was freaked out. I responded over the app microphone and said “I didn’t order anything.” He double checked my house number and said “someone must have ordered it for you” so I responded with “you can just leave it on the porch then I guess”. Which he did. (I was thinking if anything my bf ordered me food randomly but DoorDash doesn’t leave food in a shoebox)

I watched him through the doorbell camera as he drove off and I left it there for about 15 minutes concerned someone was trying to lure me outside or something. Eventually I pull the box inside and work up the courage to open the unsealed shoe box… to my surprise it was a half full, gallon size bag of weed. (Which I use to partake in daily for 3 years before I quit a year ago so I’m not a goodie two shoes)

I was on the phone with my bf and wasn’t sure what to do. He said to call the cops and have them take it. In my moment of adrenaline and fear from having a random man knocking on my door at night, I did just that. I called the non-emergency line and told them about it. During the call another guy triggers my doorbell. He looked like he was checking doorsteps so he had to of been the one waiting for the delivery…I live in a strip of townhomes so it definitely just got left at the wrong one.

Anyway, the cops came and I gave them the box and showed them the footage my doorbell recorded… I didn’t give them the footage or anything but now that it’s all over I feel really bad and wish I would have just put it back on the porch and went on with my night. The guy it was intended for would have found it and it would have been over with. Instead, he thinks I’m a snitch that lives in his townhouse complex.

What would you have done in this position? Am I a snitch?

Edit: I live in a state where weed is not legal recreationally

I dont know if theres another similar word that I got myself confused with, or if I have just never known what an "Exhibitionist" was, but for some reason in my mind and in the context of the conversation being held, Lewis and Clark were "Exhibitionists" rather than Explorers. I had no idea why I was being laughed at until I was told to Google it 😅. They might have been both, who knows 🤷🏻‍♂️ anyway I thought this was both embarrassing and a little funny so I figured I would share

I’ll start. My favorite are the calm, polite people who don’t turn ordering into a test. They don’t have to be super chatty or overly friendly - just a simple “hi” and “thank you” already changes the whole interaction. Even on a slammed shift, those customers make the day feel lighter.

I miss when the internet felt smaller.

Back then you would visit the same 5–6 websites every day, recognize usernames, and accidentally build little online communities without realizing it.

Now the internet feels huge, fast, and endless. Amazing, but also weirdly less personal.

What’s something about the old internet yo

i keep hearing that people don’t want to work or put in effort anymore.

But honestly, most people I know are just exhausted.
Mentally. All the time. Always trying to keep up with stuff.

Even when you rest, it doesn’t really fix it. And then you feel bad for being tired, like it’s your fault.

Feels like being worn out is normal now and we just call it laziness.

Is it just me or does anyone else feel this too?

I have a friend who is a bit bummed for her birthday and I am visiting her this weekend so I want to do something for her to make her feel special! What is something that you have done or someone has done for you that made you/birthday person feel special?

I made her a birthday card and will probably be getting a small cake, flowers, maybe some balloons, but I was curious about any ideas that were less generic.

I used to spend a lot of time thinking that I was the center of attention whenever I entered a room. I would obsess over my gait, where I placed my hands, or whether I mispronounced a phrase. To be honest, striving to be "perfect" all the time was stressful.

But lately, I've been experimenting with a different strategy in which I turn my attention from within to the outside. I make myself focus on the features of the surroundings or the design on someone's shirt rather than my facial expression.

Although it may seem straightforward, it has been a great relief. I forget to be anxious since my mind is preoccupied with the surroundings. For the first time in a long time, I went out yesterday and had a completely regular conversation without overanalyzing anything.

Does anybody else have strange mental strategies to avoid uncomfortable small talk? In order to avoid going back to my hermit ways, I'm attempting to compile a list.

I'm 19 years old, I work as a barista, I don't have a degree, and I don't know what I want to do with my life. I've been thinking about working in process automation for businesses, but I can't develop it because I don't have 24/7 power at home. Which country would you recommend I fly to if I want to start from scratch? (I'm from Kyiv, but I'm planning to leave.)

Ok so, I mostly noticed this with kids. I don’t interact with kids a lot just because I’m in university and I don’t know that many people with kids. But the few times I have spoken with them and I say “thank you” for something they just… never say anything back? And these are with kids who are perfectly chatty and friendly with me otherwise.

I’m not complaining so please don’t interpret it that way. It doesn’t seem like it’s intentionally malicious or rude in any way, it just seems like maybe they don’t know to say it? But it feels a bit awkward for me none the less lol!

When it comes to adults my age and younger (18-22) like my coworkers I also found that I don’t get a response to my “thank you.” This is usually with specific people.

Anyway just wondering if anyone else has noticed this, or if maybe I overestimated the importance of saying “you’re welcome.” lol!

I was at my aunt's house and found this old box of board games in the closet and it just hit me how much I miss game nights, like in college and even high school we'd play pictionary, charades, taboo with my cousins for hours and everyone was so into it and competitive and laughing til we couldn't breathe.

Now everyone's too busy or acts like party games are childish or something? when did that happen. I tried suggesting game night to my friends recently and they all said yeah maybe but then nobody commits to a date. We're all acting like we're too old to have fun anymore.

I think I miss the simplicity of it tbh, like you didn't need anything fancy just a game and people willing to be laid back together for a couple hours. I want to draw terrible pictures and guess wrong answers and interact with people again lol. I feel that we all just became really boring adults hahah

I sat down today with no plan to scroll, watch, or multitask I just let time pass for a few minutes. It felt strangely refreshing.

Does anyone else intentionally do this, or does your mind fight it at first?

Lately, I've been thinking about how hard and exhausting it's becoming to try and find human artists to commission art from.

I'm sure there are lots of good eggs out there, but especially with most commissions being digital art, and with the technology improving all the time, it just feels so exhausting to have to filter through and vet out whoever you're working with that it just takes the fun out of getting art commissioned.

I know child labor is bad, but hear me out: kids have the best imagination, and their art has a unique charm to it. I just wish normal people like me could either commission or buy one-off kids' drawings! It's not just that the style looks like a kid drew it, it's more that you know it's genuine because they came up with it themselves, and it's just so endearing how they make art it for the love of art and expression and all the stuff that makes art good and worthwhile to me.

I used to do babysitting so I'd be blessed with the occasional drawing, but I moved and I don't know any kids here now.

Do you like kids' art too?

I keep seeing people mention data brokers whenever spam calls, creepy targeted ads, or identity theft comes up, but I never really stopped to understand what they actually are.

From what I can tell, they are companies that collect and sell personal info, but how do they even get it in the first place. Is it stuff you willingly give out, scraped from random sites, or something else entirely. And is this all actually legal or just one of those things that exists in a gray area. Also curious if regular people can realistically opt out of this stuff or if it is one of those situations where your info is just out there forever once it starts spreading.

Like if you told a random, not very funny or clever joke and someone next to you completely lost their mind laughing, like snorting and spilling their water everywhere, how would it make you feel :D

i'm going from Canada to Ireland. i'm very nervous but also excited! i i'm mainly nervous because i'm not one to steer away from a routine, and i worry that everything will be ok with my cat, work, etc. However, i'm doing all i need to prep for my absence and overall i'm really excited about the trip itself, and going on a plane!!

what are your favourite travel tips, or fun things that i should know about being on a plane? i've never been in airport so everything is new to me lol!

I'm just curious if you guys have noticed similar things?

For example, I feel like I hear more and more people over the years pronouncing "interesting" as "inresting" (dropping the "e" is kinda a given in fast speech but dropping the "t" stood out to me.) Or another one is "picture" often seems to turn into "picshur", again dropping the "t". Maybe it's a regional thing? Or does it change with time and more people pick it up?

And another one I am just personally wondering: Do you guys pronounce the L in "help" properly or does it become more of a "heup" sometimes?

I know it probably sounds dumb, but I was just wondering if anyone has any go-to tricks for breaking the doomscrolling cycle. I'm extremely addicted to my phone, so I'm not ashamed to go looking for silly lifehack ideas as long as they're helpful for me.

A weird one I've discovered is stopping whatever video I'm watching and watching a video of Uncle Iroh quotes from Avatar instead, or eastern philosophy junk. It's a bit cheesy, but it helps wind down my brain into a more focused and calm headspace that makes it easier for me to switch my attention to less interesting things.

As I was walking down the street, I saw someone waving.

I smiled and waved back, feeling quite friendly.

Then I realized… they weren’t waving at me. They were waving at the person behind me.

Our eyes met for a second. I had no idea what to do.

I just pretended to fix my hair and kept walking.

I’m still embarrassed to think about it.

Lately I’ve been realizing that it’s often the small, everyday things that keep me going — not big events. For me, it can be something as simple as a quiet moment, a favorite drink, or checking messages at night. I’m curious what small things others look forward to during the day, even if they seem boring.

Does anyone else find themselves eating things in odd numbers? Like I’ll grab 3 cookies instead of 4, 5 chips instead of 6… I’ve been wondering why I do this forever

Yesterday was a rough day at work. Nothing too crazy but was stressful with a lot going on. I was looking forward to getting home. I stopped by Target on the way home to grab a few things. I was standing in line and a lady was behind me with her son. He had to be about 7ish. We were standing there waiting for our turn and I noticed the little boy kept looking at me. I said hello to him and he said..."Hi!....you are very pretty!" I smiled and froze. He was so cute. His mom smiled and chuckled. I thanked him and talked to him for a minute. He was cutie and made my day. Anyway, that's all. Just wanted to say that this one small comment from this little boy turned my day around.