Are you still planning an edition with the first three books in one? Trying to plan gifting and wanted to make sure about my options.
I am planning to do an omnibus of the first three Shivadhverse books, yes! In theory it shouldn’t be super difficult, they’re all formatted already, I just need to stitch the three files together. Well, and design a cover, but that usually doesn’t take too long.
What I’m not sure about is WHEN I should do it -- I was thinking maybe I’d do it for next year, but if people really want it for holiday gifting, I can bump it and work on getting an Omnibus assembled by, say, early November of this year. Thoughts, readers? I feel a little weird issuing an omnibus so soon after issuing the books individually, but also I wonder if there are people who deliberately haven’t purchased yet because they want the omnibus...
So, I got a bunch of responses on my posts last week about the ADHD/Anxiety diagnosis and I appreciated all the support and advice. As an update, I’m waiting on the official writeup, which I hope to have by end of May, and at the start of June I have an appointment with a psychiatrist who specializes in adult ADHD and medication management. In the meantime I’m googling occasionally but otherwise just kind of sitting with the information and figuring out what I think.
In any case, one of the strongest responses I got, especially in private, was thanks for being so visible not just with the diagnosis but with my thoughts and feelings about it. Which doesn’t seem like a particularly hard thing for me to do; I know reactions vary, but I enjoy public dialogue about this kind of thing. So while I can’t reply to all of even most of the comments, and some I chose not to reply to because they were seemingly quite personal, I thought I would post up a few that seemed relevant.
If you have stuff to say feel free to comment or reblog; if you send an ask bear in mind that A) anon asks might not get replies and B) non-anon asks may get only private ones, since I’m trying to control the dialogue a little, to keep it a safe space for people to engage.
Also the tag for all this stuff is “Sam has ADHD” if you need to block it. I have 25,000 readers, I promise I will not notice nor will I be hurt if you have the tag blacklisted. :D
sumeriasmith
Anxiety and ADHD are conditions frequently comorbid, so it's not surprising to me that a test for the one evaluates the other. That said, if it's not too rude to mention, the _degree_ to which a surprise diagnosis for anxiety feels like a personal failure and causes you such an intense reaction is... probably due to the anxiety?
Oh, possibly. Though I begin to wonder if I’m working off a different definition of anxiety than I ought to be, like -- maybe I haven’t quite internalized the idea of anxiety in the way people are meant to. This does sometimes happen, where I think a word means one thing because it has in my personal experience, and actually it’s quite different. I mean, yes I do think I failed the Secret Being Normal Test, but I don’t see that as a flaw? It feels like a lot of people see a failure at something as evidence of being a bad person, and I just see it as a failure, with “fail” being pretty value-neutral. I don’t seem to couple failing-at-doing-something with being-a-failure in the way a lot of people seem to.
At one point in the test I told the woman “I’m doing so badly at this it’s almost impressive” just to make a joke, and she was like “But you’re trying your hardest, right?” and I said “Well...yeah, of course” fairly baffled, and only realized later she was possibly trying to comfort me, not checking to make sure I wasn’t sabotaging the test on purpose. I don’t mind failure particularly, especially when it’s so incredibly low-stakes, this specific failure just blindsided me because unlike usually, I wasn’t aware it was happening as it happened.
perminas
while best practice is usually to be in consistent talking therapy while taking adhd meds, you can absolutely get an assessment and find a psychiatrist - fairly easily on zocdoc! - who will not withhold medication if you don't continue therapy. i have one! she's in chicago and does telemed, even for adhd meds, if you want a recommendation!
Oh, thanks! I found a dude in the loop (near my home) who fits the bill, and the clinic seems pretty legit, but if he sets off alarm bells I may hit you back :D
Man there is a lot of bullshit wank that pulls up on Google when you search for anything related to mental health or learning disabilities. Also there are some scaaaaaaams out there and they’re hitting up top on the algorithm, don’t love that.
katestamps
Sending huge virtual hugs. No idea what insurance will pay for but there is also music, art and even theater therapy as opposed to just talk therapy and that may feel less awkward than traditional talk therapy if you want to go the therapy route. Also you may have more options with virtual appointments as opposed to them in your immediate area.
For a second I was like “Oh shit I could just go do theatre as therapy?” and then I realized it was probably like...theatre involving therapeutic themes, not just “working stagehand for a local production of Hairspray”. :D Which honestly sounds kind of exhausting anyway, before you introduce working through your issues, but it does explain a bit about my entire college career.
Man. I had some art therapy in my teens in California in the 90s and that...was a whole ass real trip I had forgotten about. You couldn’t pay me to be a teenager again.
flippedroundagain
You don't owe it to tumblr to be "well adjusted" about your own shit. It's A Lot to process! I hope the diagnosis ends up helping and that you find good care.
Well, no, but I do owe it to tumblr that, if I’m going to be public about it and tag the post with the various issues, I need to not be offensive or so fucked up I’m hurting other people. Like, not that I think this, but I’ve seen people say “I can’t have a learning disability, I’m normal” like everyone who has one is somehow a freak. If I’m going to express something like that, because nobody can be super healthy about this shit all the time, I need to find an appropriate place to put that, which isn’t “right in front of other people with the problem I’m bitching about.”
It’s okay to be both hurting and conscious of not hurting others. It’s just a matter of making sure that either I say stuff that isn’t hurtful, or I warn that I might be inadvertently hurtful as I work through shit.
hadesismyqueen on this post about Del Taco and stock
Del taco is phenomenal, A+ choice. May I recommend their chicken tacos? The sauce is bomb
I’d love to try one, but they seem to be in very out of the way places, at least for me :D The nearest one is in Oklahoma, and having checked my normal vacation spots there aren’t any near anything I regularly visit. I’m going to have to go on like...a quest.
katestamps on this post about Del Taco and stock
Also possibly Books a million (BAMM) or Barnes and Noble (BKS). They’re both pretty inexpensive but also B&N was sold to a hedge fund in 2019 which means it might be on a “someone wants to play the short game” list.
Oooh, interesting, I wasn’t aware B&N had gone hedge fund. I’ll have to look into that.
greenapple2004 on this post about Del Taco and stock
What service do you use for your investing? I have a chunk of change I've been trying to figure out what to do with, so this seems like a good time to dabble with some of it...
I just use Robin Hood. It’s got a clean interface, it does the things I want it to do relatively easily, and there’s a surprising amount of research available within the app/site itself. Its search/filter function is a bit garbage, it’s just not very robust, but usually if you can find one stock in the “genre” you’re looking for, you can find it tagged in a list of other similar stocks. I use the web version more than the app, but that’s just personal preference.
I do usually go outside of RobinHood for some research -- it’s especially bad at sorting/filtering cap size -- but for just plain buying and selling it’s perfectly adequate. Also, they pay 0.3% on any cash you stash with them that isn’t actively invested, which outside of CDs is a pretty decent going rate right now (Betterment only pays 0.3% and even my high-yield savings account drops to 0.25% after the first thousand).
toast-the-unknowing on this post about Del Taco and stock
my most stocks-obsessed friend has owned Del Taco stock for years purely because she likes it...I am hoping this pans out for her
They say never to bet on the home team but honestly, when I buy stocks for companies I like they tend to perform pretty well!
...Dearborn Q. Starbuck? What does the Q stand for?
fillinmymap on this post:
Q for Queen?
“S’just a Q, really.”
Alternately, Q for QT (cutie) :D
airmidcelt on this post:
Dearborn is so TINY compared to my cat.
She is the itty bittiest!
katestamps
Lavender sage cheddar? Where did you find such a thing? And the cinnamon rolls look delicious!
There’s a small gourmet corner store near us that sells a small selection of Super Fancy Cheeses, and we got it there -- the maker is a Vermont company called Plymouth Cheese.
I’m still not entirely sure I like it, to be honest, but it was certainly the most interesting cheese I’ve eaten since the definitely unlikable chocolate wensleydale.
samjohnssonvt on this post:
She looks so fluffy in those shots, up from her normal felt all the way to a fleece.
It’s her chest -- she’s got a tiny bit of a ruff, and her chest fur is super fluffy, so she looks extremely fleecy from the front :D
She looks like she's Enforcing A Rule here. Was it time to get up and stretch? Time to pet the Cryptids? Did you miss Treat Time? No laptop for you, Mister, until you fix it, whatever it is!
kruthie73
She looks like you caught her mid-double take.
knottahooker
She is SUSPICIOUS of SOMETHING.
The funniest part is that the reason she looks so alert is that she saw her reflection in one of my picture frames, and then it moved and wigged her out. Bless her dumb little heart.
katestamps
She is so skinny. And 100% done with some kind of shenanigans, though if they are yours or her sister’s no one can tell. You maybe should give her some treats just in case.
LOL! They are both very thin babies, though their weight is proportionate to their size according to the vet. Who is a little baffled by it, because I free-feed them, but I free-feed primarily because they are the least food-motivated animals I’ve ever encountered. They don’t eat treats when offered, they have zero interest in people food (except McDonalds hamburgers for some reason) and they’ve both just...straight up stopped eating wet food, to the point I don’t even bother buying it anymore. Kibble is the only thing they eat, and they snack a lot throughout the day but it’s only ever like, a few mouthfuls before they lose interest and wander off.
chicleeblair replied to your post “Welcome to Boston, home of the bean and the cod. Where the Lowells...”
no they go to Lea! it’s magical, but by either the 90s or now the story is legend!
katestamps replied to your post “Welcome to Boston, home of the bean and the cod. Where the Lowells...”
Um..does Harry and co go hide out in Lea? Cause that might still cover the “tiny yet definitely magical” part of Betwys Beddau. And I’d love to see what happened to the rest of the Mayer/Platter Family in more current times.
Well, I have specific reasons for making it Galvestston as opposed to Lea, but I’m so glad people are so interested in what would happen to the contemporary town!
I know what happens to the Mayer-Platters up until about the end of WWII, though after that it gets a bit fuzzy as the decision tree broadens. I do know that even though most of Wild’s siblings leave Lea, they do maintain a familial presence there and still own the farm (likely now expanded to include Tex Junior’s farm next door).
teogli replied to your post “Welcome to Boston, home of the bean and the cod. Where the Lowells...”
I love my family’s prohibition story about how the Jungle Room was built out on a long pier so they would have time to drop the booze into the ocean before the cops could make it out to the end, and then fish the crates back up afterwards. and then they got busted by a cop gunning a motorcycle down the (pedestrian!) pier and bursting through the door.
LOL! What an ingenious solution, especially since it doesn’t lead to all the dumped booze being non-salvageable.
rionsanura replied to your post “Welcome to Boston, home of the bean and the cod. Where the Lowells...”
can I also just add that there are currently two reasons I ever go to Galveston. 1: historic candy store that sells seasonal fudge (I can't get over their carrot cake nonsense for the week surrounding easter oh my gOD and their peanut fudge in the fall it's like NOTHING ELSE) and 2: a woo-woo new-age store The Witchery that sells meditation cds, mythological statuary, and amethyst chalice-athame sets and is the best front for a wizarding business I could ever imagine
I know exactly the candy store you’re talking about! I don’t remember The Witchery but I had a great time poking around in the military surplus store. I got a communication officer’s radio bag there that I used for YEARS.
wholetthedogdrive replied to your post “Sewing a Duck Bill Mask: A Quick Handy Guide With Photos”
Thanks for the tutorial—I’d tried some with the hair elastics but hadn’t thought to cut them and then sew the ends in (rather than leaving them and sewing a channel for them). I’ll try your way!
Realistically, the channel probably makes for a more durable mask because even if the stitching goes or the elastic frays, you can just repair it, which is slightly more difficult with the kind I do. But it’s less sewing and they seem to hold up well, at least!
marithlizard replied to your post “The Stealing Harry post reminds me.. eons ago, I got the kid-friendly...”
hm! @copperbadge is the kid-friendly version available somewhere, by chance, or might you be willing to share it? I know a smol who loves HP and wants more stories to read.
It is, yes! I want to note that I do strongly recommend reading this version before sharing it with any little ones to make sure in your opinion it’s still appropriate. The explicit sex has been cut out but all the relationships (including some slightly risque physical affection) and violence remain, and some of the violence might be unsettling depending on the kid.
Stealing Harry, Kid Friendly Version
fatfemme-inist replied to your post “chicleeblair replied to your post “myjennieblr replied to your post...”
No one would leave New England for TX in the summer. That gives you the absolute worst of both climates with bonus fall leaves?
Well, it’s not exactly voluntary, much like it wasn’t when they moved to Rhos y Beddau. Fortunately they’ll be back to New England for the school terms. I’m planning to shift “Hogwarts” to a secret Wizarding village in the elbow of Cape Cod. :D
katestamps replied to your post “justgot1 replied to your post “Sorry I missed stream last night...”
You may want to have “dump a bunch of dry food out for the cats” as an additional tripwire since your contact person may be denied access to your home or become ill themselves. (Hopefully not but then hopefully you won’t get sick at all and so none of it is an issue.)
Oh yeah -- they rarely have an empty food bowl, since their bowl holds so much and they aren’t food-driven, so I wasn’t overly concerned (my contact person actually lives in my building and has a spare set of keys, so it’s not a HUGE concern but just in case, yanno). But if you have pets it’s definitely a good idea to put a feeding contingency in place.
ariadnespyns replied to your post “Sorry I missed stream last night guys! I honestly lay down on the bed...”
I feel you. I'm 'essential personnel' at a hospital, but I got turned away at the door yesterday and put on a 3 day quarantine when I told them I had a sore throat. Now I don't know if this sore throat that comes and goes is something normal, or covid. Did I do the right thing, since now my coworkers have to cover my shifts? What do I do if it's not better in 3 days? My area doesn't have tests to spare, I dont have PTO to spare, and people can't just cover for me forever
You did the right thing. Normally I feel like people think there’s some wiggle room to this, since we’re all HEAVILY conditioned to ignore sickness and “work through it”, but this bullshit is so contagious and so new that we have to dodge that conditioning and realize that if we feel sick, regardless, we have to isolate for now. Especially working at a hospital where most people there already have some level of immuno-compromise. Yeah, your coworkers have to cover your shifts, but that’s now the worst-case scenario -- the worst that happens if you stay home is others have to cover you, whereas the worst that happens if you go in is that you are sick, you infect others, and people die.
I don’t say this to scold you, I say this to praise you -- you were honest and you did the right thing, and if it’s not better in three days then you DEFINTIELY did the right thing.
The lack of PTO blows hard, though, I’m really sorry about that. The hospital has put you in a really fucked up spot that way. I would talk to your payroll or HR people about what they’ve put in place for people who are turned away for illness, and potentially look up unemployment in your area, since I believe unemployment can cover loss of paycheck hours as well as actual unemployment.
podficcerbynight replied to your photoset “I am home! The cats are very happy, but also full of beans, and spent...”
The moral of this story is probably that I need more sleep XD
LOL no worries! I deleted for peace of mind but I wasn’t especially worried. :D GO TAKE A NAP, but only because naps are grand.
spyderqueen replied to your photoset “I am home! The cats are very happy, but also full of beans, and spent...”
DCA is pretty terrible but I still prefer using it than Dulles, which is its own circle of hell.
I don’t think I’ve ever been through Dulles, so it’s possible I’m diagnosing without full context. But man. DCA just has a vibe.
katestamps replied to your post “A brief overview of my day: I did the tour of the Bureau of Engraving...”
*waves from your west* Sorry about the weather and the politicians.
I can’t blame you for either!
While I was in DC at one point I was taking someone’s photo and I said, “Look presidential....but not THIS one,” and I got the person’s photo when they cracked up laughing :D
