OT: General OT Thread [NO POLITICS, RACE OR RELIGION]

[WRau1]

Had a great time in Austin, definitely want to go back because I didn't even begin to explore everything I wanted. Heading off to MA tomorrow morning, staying in Salem for a few nights then the rest of the trip will he in downtown Boston.

[WeekapaugGroove]

I always struggled to find quality footwear, nothing lasts very long on my feet. Probably because I'm tall and heavy and I walk a lot and I've twisted my ankle like a thousand times playing basketball and it's permanently swollen, I don't know.

One day last year I was visiting a friend in a small town and my eye caught a sign "Chromexcel", that's easily the best boot leather in the world in my opinion. That was enough to get me through the door, and from there I was sold. One man operation housed in an old shop, beautiful smell of leather, old boot making machines. I had no idea how boots are made but the guy walked me through everything, I picked chromexcel exterior, kangaroo interior, layers and layers of veg tan for the soles, Daynite outsoles and a custom design based on an old Czech army boot with goodyear welts.

Then he took a bunch of measurements and found a hardwood last that roughly matched my foot and started gluing strips of thin leather on it until he was confident he had the shape and size just right. Days later I went by for a fitting and he had made one boot out of cheaper leather, with soles, laces and everything, just for me to try it on and then he was gonna throw it away. I was blown away that this is what he had to do to make a pair of boots, I actually kept it as a souvenir:



And then one day finally my boots were ready:



Was it cheap? God no. Nothing cheap or fast about the whole thing. I still cringe a bit thinking how much I paid, but I'm not regretting it. I know how chromexcel ages and I absolutely love it, and I know how these boots are made and I have no doubt they will last a lifetime, just change soles and laces every few years.

You can find boots made like that, Nicks Boots comes to mind, but man, it's a different experience wearing something that is exactly cut to your foot... easily the most comfortable footwear I've ever owned. If you can swing it I highly recommend finding a local boot maker in your area and having a pair made, do it once in your lifetime. Great experience, great product, keep the craft alive.

Shout out to James Roberts of Reboot Supply in Kyneton, Victoria, Australia.

This is now on my bucket list (to have an old man make me a pair of custom boots).

Random footwear post but I got some Ugg slippers as a gift and holy hell are these things comfortable. Wish I would have bought some of these a decade ago.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

[MikeIsGood]

Ugg slippers as a gift and holy hell are these things comfortable. Wish I would have bought some of these a decade ago.RealGM mobile app

I **** love my Ugg slippers. I've had a pair for about ten years, wear them probably 10-12 hours a day as a permanent WFH person (I wear them with socks, so they're still in great shape). I have poor circulation in my feet; they're such a life saver for keeping my feet warm, even in the summer.

[Finn]

Wicked Good slippers from LL Bean are by far my favorite.

[crkone]

Wicked Good slippers from LL Bean are by far my favorite.

Hell yeah. I have two pair of Wicked Good Moccasins. Only wear them out of the shower with clean feet and no socks.

[Pachinko_]

Random footwear post but I got some Ugg slippers as a gift and holy hell are these things comfortable. Wish I would have bought some of these a decade ago.

Sent from my SM-G986U using RealGM mobile app

Τhere's two types, the good old Ugg that is still made in Australia around the corner from where I live, I go to the factory outlet once a year or so. And there is the American company that just snatched the name, which was not properly copyrighted, and they make their own version in China. If you liked the second type you'd love the originals, they have way better soles and stitching, and they use local sheepskins that for some reason just feel better. More expensive though.
If your soles feel like cheddar cheese you got the Chinese ones.

[ReasonablySober]

My thing was working from home left me with a lot of bad habits I'm still working on kicking. Living alone, small apartment, and every day was literally the exact same. We were in the middle of the **** back then (I mean, still are but at least we're vaccinated now), and I didn't see or interact with anyone for half a year unless it was over zoom. Every day was 100% the exact same, and I went through the Groundhog Day Bill Murray phase where I just felt like nothing I did mattered, at all. By the time we were back in the office I was happy to do so, but by then my health took a big hit and I just lost a lot of interest in doing the stuff I both should be doing and previously loved doing (cooking, RIP).

I traded depression for crippling, scary as **** anxiety attacks in the last month. It got so much worse.

I got back into the stuff I enjoyed and asked out a girl at work who's been flirting for a year, because I'd been single for two years since my engagement ended, and what the ****, right? Everything is opened up, I'm 4x vaccinated, get back in the saddle.

Literally the next day after asking her out anxiety attacks started. Like, lose conscious at work twice in a week. Panic at home alone. Had to reschedule the date, then had an attack literally as it finally happened. Turns out she's very cool and understands anxiety well. She's been so patient. In the meantime I'm on a new med and I'm supposed to give it three weeks. It's been a full month and I don't think it's done **** ****.

Today I told her I didn't think I could keep doing this because of the increasing anxiety attacks. Have never let her know it's because of her, just that I haven't been in a good place and I'm now obviously not in a place where I can see someone.

Then I was driven to the ER because I thought I was going to pass out, have a stroke, or a heart attack alone in my apartment and die. They ran all the tests, I'm physically fine, and all my issues are brain chemistry and anxiety that they won't fix with a pill.

I was so fine for almost 20 years. Living independently, going out often, volleyball, baseball, and softball teams. Golf leagues, poker nights, Thursday lunches at B-Dubs for boneless. Dates and relationships literally whenever I felt like it.

Broke up with the fiancé, went off my meds a month later, then literally Covid happens two months later and I've been in doors and alone for two years, seeing coworkers and family occasionally. It's when I decide to be social again I find out those two years COMPLETELY **** up my wiring.

So an update. I'm both pissed off and relieved.

My anxiety and the attacks were pretty consistent throughout February. Two trips to the ER, a couple appointments with psychiatry, one with a Doctors on Demand, multiple mediation changes. Left work multiple times and worked from home for a few days because I felt like the world was coming down around me.

Again, I hadn't had any anxiety issues in twenty years. They just **** popped up out of nowhere and no one could give me a reason why. And I thought, well ****, this is just how it's going to be now isn't it.

Fast forward to today. The last week and a half have mostly been back to normal. No anxiety or panic attacks. I've been able to work in the office and go out grocery shopping without a crippling sense of dread. I think I'm coming out the other side.

Then this shows up in my twitter feed:

Read on Twitter

Then I read a link in there to this Science Daily study: "How do antidepressants trigger fear and anxiety?: Researchers map the anxiety circuit in the brain and use a compound to limit fearful behavior -- an acute side effect of commonly prescribed SSRI antidepressants".

More than 100 million people worldwide take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac and Zoloft, to treat depression, anxiety and related conditions, but these drugs have a common and mysterious side effect: they can worsen anxiety in the first few weeks of use, which leads many patients to stop treatment. Scientists at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine have mapped out a serotonin-driven anxiety circuit that may explain this side effect and lead to treatments to eliminate it.

It literally fits what I went through to a god damn T. Started an antidepressant. A couple weeks later the anxiety and attacks start. It lasts about a month. Then the anxiety seems to have gone away.

I've seen three doctors, three nurses, and a psychiatrist and not a single **** one of them mentioned that the anxiety I was experiencing MIGHT have something to do with starting a new antidepressant.

So yea, I'm beyond relieved that the attacks have seemingly stopped because I thought I was just going to be permanently f*cked. But I'm also very pissed off that many professionals and many bills later, no one connected the dots.

[M-C-G]

My thing was working from home left me with a lot of bad habits I'm still working on kicking. Living alone, small apartment, and every day was literally the exact same. We were in the middle of the **** back then (I mean, still are but at least we're vaccinated now), and I didn't see or interact with anyone for half a year unless it was over zoom. Every day was 100% the exact same, and I went through the Groundhog Day Bill Murray phase where I just felt like nothing I did mattered, at all. By the time we were back in the office I was happy to do so, but by then my health took a big hit and I just lost a lot of interest in doing the stuff I both should be doing and previously loved doing (cooking, RIP).

I traded depression for crippling, scary as **** anxiety attacks in the last month. It got so much worse.

I got back into the stuff I enjoyed and asked out a girl at work who's been flirting for a year, because I'd been single for two years since my engagement ended, and what the ****, right? Everything is opened up, I'm 4x vaccinated, get back in the saddle.

Literally the next day after asking her out anxiety attacks started. Like, lose conscious at work twice in a week. Panic at home alone. Had to reschedule the date, then had an attack literally as it finally happened. Turns out she's very cool and understands anxiety well. She's been so patient. In the meantime I'm on a new med and I'm supposed to give it three weeks. It's been a full month and I don't think it's done **** ****.

Today I told her I didn't think I could keep doing this because of the increasing anxiety attacks. Have never let her know it's because of her, just that I haven't been in a good place and I'm now obviously not in a place where I can see someone.

Then I was driven to the ER because I thought I was going to pass out, have a stroke, or a heart attack alone in my apartment and die. They ran all the tests, I'm physically fine, and all my issues are brain chemistry and anxiety that they won't fix with a pill.

I was so fine for almost 20 years. Living independently, going out often, volleyball, baseball, and softball teams. Golf leagues, poker nights, Thursday lunches at B-Dubs for boneless. Dates and relationships literally whenever I felt like it.

Broke up with the fiancé, went off my meds a month later, then literally Covid happens two months later and I've been in doors and alone for two years, seeing coworkers and family occasionally. It's when I decide to be social again I find out those two years COMPLETELY **** up my wiring.

So an update. I'm both pissed off and relieved.

My anxiety and the attacks were pretty consistent throughout February. Two trips to the ER, a couple appointments with psychiatry, one with a Doctors on Demand, multiple mediation changes. Left work multiple times and worked from home for a few days because I felt like the world was coming down around me.

Again, I hadn't had any anxiety issues in twenty years. They just **** popped up out of nowhere and no one could give me a reason why. And I thought, well ****, this is just how it's going to be now isn't it.

Fast forward to today. The last week and a half have mostly been back to normal. No anxiety or panic attacks. I've been able to work in the office and go out grocery shopping without a crippling sense of dread. I think I'm coming out the other side.

Then this shows up in my twitter feed:

Read on Twitter

Then I read a link in there to this Science Daily study: "How do antidepressants trigger fear and anxiety?: Researchers map the anxiety circuit in the brain and use a compound to limit fearful behavior -- an acute side effect of commonly prescribed SSRI antidepressants".

More than 100 million people worldwide take selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as Prozac and Zoloft, to treat depression, anxiety and related conditions, but these drugs have a common and mysterious side effect: they can worsen anxiety in the first few weeks of use, which leads many patients to stop treatment. Scientists at the University of North Carolina (UNC) School of Medicine have mapped out a serotonin-driven anxiety circuit that may explain this side effect and lead to treatments to eliminate it.

It literally fits what I went through to a god damn T. Started an antidepressant. A couple weeks later the anxiety and attacks start. It lasts about a month. Then the anxiety seems to have gone away.

I've seen three doctors, three nurses, and a psychiatrist and not a single **** one of them mentioned that the anxiety I was experiencing MIGHT have something to do with starting a new antidepressant.

So yea, I'm beyond relieved that the attacks have seemingly stopped because I thought I was just going to be permanently f*cked. But I'm also very pissed off that many professionals and many bills later, no one connected the dots.

Glad you are coming thru the other side. I find it interesting that every med commercial is 50% side effects being discussed but as I get older I am realizing that ‘only happens to other people’ isn’t how it works. I also think the ‘rare’ side effects are way more prevalent than I used to believe.


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[Iheartfootball]

Really important to check in with your mental health professionals on a regular basis. If you aren’t feeling heard or cared for find a new one. Especially psychiatry. When you’re dealing with chemicals changes in the brain, you need to be attuned to those accompanying emotional and physical responses. Record them and report them regularly to your psychiatrist.

A trusted psychotherapist is an excellent backstop to reality test and support how you are feeling.

Get as much objective professional feedback that you can afford and trust how you feel. You know your body and mind best.

Be well y’all.

[MickeyDavis]

Tuned into the Players Championship for about half an hour. Shot after shot in the water due to brutal winds. Loved it

[jschligs]

Has anyone started a job new fully remote?

I’m flying to Cleveland to meet with a company that’s likely going to offer me a director role. I’m on interview 5 or something, it seems like a great opportunity, but I’d be fully remote. The team is currently remote but is going back into office soon. Anyone start a new position fully remote?

[MickeyDavis]

Has anyone started a job new fully remote?

I’m flying to Cleveland to meet with a company that’s likely going to offer me a director role. I’m on interview 5 or something, it seems like a great opportunity, but I’d be fully remote. The team is currently remote but is going back into office soon. Anyone start a new position fully remote?

I started before remote but I've helped onboard many over the past 2 years. We have a pretty seamless process. Would you be remote permanently or just for now?

[MartyConlonOnTheRun]

Has anyone started a job new fully remote?

I’m flying to Cleveland to meet with a company that’s likely going to offer me a director role. I’m on interview 5 or something, it seems like a great opportunity, but I’d be fully remote. The team is currently remote but is going back into office soon. Anyone start a new position fully remote?

I work 'remote' and have been in the office 3 days since I started in September. I'm worried that I would be called in at some point, but no issues on-boarding or working. If you are fully designated as remote I would go for it. The flexibility to either travel (work from hotel), workout during lunch, etc is amazing

If you are worried about facetime, see if they would be allow you to fly in 1-2 times a month to jam pack meetings/lunches since there easy flights from either ORD or MKE.

[trwi7]

Has anyone started a job new fully remote?

I’m flying to Cleveland to meet with a company that’s likely going to offer me a director role. I’m on interview 5 or something, it seems like a great opportunity, but I’d be fully remote. The team is currently remote but is going back into office soon. Anyone start a new position fully remote?

I was remote and hated it so I went back to school and got my teaching degree. My brother went from an office to a new job that was fully remote and loves it. You're never really going to know unless you try it.

[jschligs]

I work 'remote' and have been in the office 3 days since I started in September. I'm worried that I would be called in at some point, but no issues on-boarding or working. If you are fully designated as remote I would go for it. The flexibility to either travel (work from hotel), workout during lunch, etc is amazing

If you are worried about facetime, see if they would be allow you to fly in 1-2 times a month to jam pack meetings/lunches since there easy flights from either ORD or MKE.

Yea, I think that might be the route I go. This is a lot more responsibility and I'm at an amazing company, but a vertical move for significantly more money is enticing.

I started before remote but I've helped onboard many over the past 2 years. We have a pretty seamless process. Would you be remote permanently or just for now?

I would be permanently remote and would travel down there quarterly. There are a few others being fully remote, but they're encouraging people to start coming back in. I just worry as a director that it would be too hard to manage a team that's in office.

[KidA24]

I work 'remote' and have been in the office 3 days since I started in September. I'm worried that I would be called in at some point, but no issues on-boarding or working. If you are fully designated as remote I would go for it. The flexibility to either travel (work from hotel), workout during lunch, etc is amazing

If you are worried about facetime, see if they would be allow you to fly in 1-2 times a month to jam pack meetings/lunches since there easy flights from either ORD or MKE.

Yea, I think that might be the route I go. This is a lot more responsibility and I'm at an amazing company, but a vertical move for significantly more money is enticing.

I started before remote but I've helped onboard many over the past 2 years. We have a pretty seamless process. Would you be remote permanently or just for now?

I would be permanently remote and would travel down there quarterly. There are a few others being fully remote, but they're encouraging people to start coming back in. I just worry as a director that it would be too hard to manage a team that's in office.

If you're a good manager, and your role is about growing and creating passionate employees and staying out of their way, where you're located doesn't matter.

[Gianstoppable]

Any Bearded Dragon owners out there?

Our 5 year old has been begging for one (we are the main caretakers but she has been really enjoying learning some stuff and doing the things to help) she earned $250 for a study at my wifes workplace and she really wanted to use it towards one. (Yes, we know its a long term commitment, mama and myself have been wanting one forever so secretly its for us too lol)

Got our setup in a 36x18x18 tank. Kinda wish we went bigger for future but we can always upgrade I suppose. Have a basking light, UBV light, thermometer/humidity meters, supplements, light timer power strip etc. Hes only a few weeks old and we have the turf style substrate and have a sandy rocky substrate that is not loose.

Basically curious, am I doing this right? Lol

Best recommendations for a night heater? Ceramic sounds best? Looking for a good thermostat for it though because the room stays about 70F.

Best substrate?

Can you do natural plants?


We put aluminum foil on top if the metal grate (lights mount to bottom of grate) and that seems to keep everything at a perfect temp with cool zones. Is that a good option? Looks a bit silly but it works for now otherwise the heat just gets the basking spot and my thermometer doesnt seem to get much above 72 unless its in basking. I did order a heat gun to be more accurate as once I'm homed in I should be good since our home maintains pretty constant temps.

Thanks in advance!

[WRau1]

So far my favorite part about Boston is how many drunk kids keep coming up to me and screaming BUKCKS IN 6! when my wife & I are out at the bars. I'm always in a Bucks hoodie and hat.

[buckboy]

Any Bearded Dragon owners out there?

Our 5 year old has been begging for one (we are the main caretakers but she has been really enjoying learning some stuff and doing the things to help) she earned $250 for a study at my wifes workplace and she really wanted to use it towards one. (Yes, we know its a long term commitment, mama and myself have been wanting one forever so secretly its for us too lol)

Got our setup in a 36x18x18 tank. Kinda wish we went bigger for future but we can always upgrade I suppose. Have a basking light, UBV light, thermometer/humidity meters, supplements, light timer power strip etc. Hes only a few weeks old and we have the turf style substrate and have a sandy rocky substrate that is not loose.

Basically curious, am I doing this right? Lol

Best recommendations for a night heater? Ceramic sounds best? Looking for a good thermostat for it though because the room stays about 70F.

Best substrate?

Can you do natural plants?


We put aluminum foil on top if the metal grate (lights mount to bottom of grate) and that seems to keep everything at a perfect temp with cool zones. Is that a good option? Looks a bit silly but it works for now otherwise the heat just gets the basking spot and my thermometer doesnt seem to get much above 72 unless its in basking. I did order a heat gun to be more accurate as once I'm homed in I should be good since our home maintains pretty constant temps.

Thanks in advance!

No real help here other than to say lizards are a lot more work than people think. I've never owned a bearded dragon, but have had at least 6-8 others.

Edit: It seems like you're doing everything right to me. I've never done natural plants, so I'm no help there. I gave up on lizards about 15 years ago, so I don't even remember the details anymore. As I said, too much work for me, and I actually almost had one die on me. That was when it was time to get out.

[StickeeFingaz]

These posts about lizards give me the shivers, I hate reptiles.