I don't mind cleaning that much but the laundry really gets my goat because I can't just DO it. You get me?

Like, the dishes for example. I do those, or I put them in a dishwasher where they're cleaned and dried and it's just one thing.

With the laundry I have to separate everything so I can't even wash stuff all at the same time. Then it takes two hours for the washing machine to be done and then they're wet. And if I leave them too long in the washing machine they get that mouldy damp smell so I have to wash again. And then there's the drying. Hanging up socks should be illegal, it takes so long and for what?? One wear and then they're back in the laundry basket? Kill me.

Oh now your stuff is dry? Now you have to take it to a secret third place (your wardrobe). It takes so much time and energy to get the washing and drying done that the last part often doesn't get done.

And. It. Never. Ends.

Someone PLEASE invent a wardrobe that does mini loads of laundry and also hangs your clothes to dry but also that doesn't make your home mouldy.

Or even just. A smaller washing machine that operates with a crank and only takes a few turns to wash your clothes so that I don't have to leave it for two hours in a washing machine and forget about it.

I don't think I'm being articulate at all here but whatever. Laundry needs to get its shit together. We live in the future and it still SUCKS.

I teach English as a foreign language and if any of my students wrote the same way you do I'd cry with joy. You have no problems with accuracy but if you're having trouble speaking then it's fluency you need a hand with. Conversation classes would be a good place to start or as someone mentioned just chatting to someone over the phone or zoom.

Also if you really want to expand your vocabulary, try learning lists of phrasal verbs. Even my most advanced students find them difficult, but native speakers use them all the time so it helps with understanding and will make your English sound more natural.

The gastritis is..... bad. And I'm tired of working through the pain. But my friend made me dinner this evening which was amazing because I'm so tired of making food that's suitable for me to eat.

Never take ibuprofen on an empty stomach.

Not exactly as a customer, but trying to access welfare when I was off work long term sick was a fucking nightmare. I don't mind filling in forms but dealing with the people in that government department was the most demoralising experience of my life. I cried on the phone once because of how rude one of the agents was to me. They're being rude and unhelpful to people who are sick and out of work. What a way to kick the most vulnerable people in society when they're down.

I finally got what I was owed and I've delayed filing a complaint about them because I just never wanted to deal with them again but it's about time I bring out my inner Karen because they're probably still traumatising people that need financial help.

Browse tumblr. Haven't found my niche yet on lemmy. I'm also learning a new language on Duolingo and am halfway through Ulysses!

I'm manifesting tickets to a local festival right now which means I'm basically waiting for them to fall out of the sky and hit me in the face. I miss having money for these things! It's meant to be rainy anyway so maybe I won't miss much!

Apart from that I'm meeting a friend for some food and then visiting some family. I'm starting a new job next week so I might do some prep for that. Or I might not, I might just wing it on the day haha!

These are great! Thanks superkret :)

This pizza place opened in an area that is flush with well established takeaway spots. We ordered from it once and it was BAD. The bases were frozen and the meat was clearly sandwich meat from a supermarket. Whenever we pass it by, it's open but there are NEVER any customers.

The online reviews are bizarre, they're either one star reviews with detailed explanations of how shitty the food is or 5 star reviews with no comments.

Yet somehow this place is STILL open despite being surrounded by superior competition and always being empty. There is absolutely no way it's not a front for something.

I've been struck down by some mystery illness. My head hurts but mostly I'm just fatigued and my mental faculties aren't where they should be. I teach languages yet I can't remember words for basic things right now! So I'm taking a few days off to recover. Hopefully will be back in by the end of the week.

In other news, I'll be five months off alcohol this week. Social situations have become easier, I'm getting used to being a little bit goofy at parties and my friends have been super supportive! One even looked shocked when I held my partner's beer at a festival a few weeks ago and made a joke saying they couldn't remember the last time they saw me with a beer! It sounds small but it meant the world 😊

As I'm confined to my couch for the next little while I'm probably going to be a bit more active on beehaw! Hope you're all having a nice week!

Hey, thanks! That means a lot! I can't really talk about it much outside of online spaces because I don't want to sound like I'm judging anyone for their life choices. It's just what's working for me right now and I really am proud of it :)

I feel like my community does not show young people enough ways to socialise and have fun without alcohol so it took me a long time to find that for myself.

Hear hear! Since drinking I've realised that there's very little else to do where I live. Now that I'm not calmed down by drinking, sitting in a bar all night has me bouncing up and down off my seat from boredom!!

It sucks not being like other people which can do things in moderation, but hey, they have other problems.

Couldn't have put it better myself. I've told people about my attempts to cut down over the years and they say things like, why don't you have just one or two and then stop? If I could do that then I wouldn't need to try to moderate! But you're right, everyone struggles with something. Classic human condition! I like that outlook.

Congrats on cutting down too!! I hope it's helping you :)

Better than last time I commented on this thread! My gastritis has taken a turn for the better which has had a huge positive effect on my mood. I got some extra hours in work too, after working part time for ages due to being sick. I'm hoping to pick up some private students for online lessons after the summer to earn some more money so I can move out of my house which has been the plan since 2020 but it's been delayed at every turn 😭 2025 is going to be my year... Possibly

I just started a new job teaching and I overheard one of the students say to my boss that I was one of the best teachers they'd ever had. I nearly cried. It means the world to me. I feel like I've been a square peg in a round hole for years in my various jobs and now I'm finally doing something that fits.

For context, NCBI is the National Council for the Blind of Ireland. It's an NGO.

Thanks for your detailed answer, I really liked it. Apologies if this question was offensive to you, I had this discussion recently and it made me think a lot about how much time I spend using my literacy skills vs getting around. Then it got me thinking about how accessible lots of buildings where I live are. A friend of mine had a family member come to visit in a wheelchair recently and pointed out that lots of places that tourists usually visit are exempt from accessibility requirements because they're situated in older buildings. One of my biggest shames in one of my previous jobs was being told I had to turn down a group of students coming to take a course in the school I was working in because we couldn't accommodate one of their classmates in a wheelchair. Like, my gut tells me that's straight up illegal 🫤 but maybe where I live it's not. I left that job not long after so I don't know if there were any repercussions.

There's a big push to revitalise the city I live in at the moment regarding opening up public spaces and making them more attractive to citizens and this is something that I haven't seen discussed openly in relation to that yet so I will keep an eye out for it!

Demon 79 was definitely my second favourite!! Absolutely loved it. The microaggressions leading to violent fantasies, and the violence juxtaposed with the most outrageously dressed man making sassy remarks. I thought the music was used really well in it too. Bright Eyes while they walk out together hand in hand because she decided an infinite vacuum was no different to her life as a minority in a snobby department store. It feels triumphant somehow. And the Boney M track when she walks out of the shop in the red leather jacket was heavenly!

Sorry to hear about your health troubles.

The weight thing is mad isn't it? It's been quite easy to keep weight off. Although I think I've upped my sugar intake to make up for it!

I LOVED when they reveal they're a level up from reality and Michael Cera is talking about how no one in reality would live in a house like that. It's something I've thought about in so many BM episodes, they're very self aware!

I've found my journey a little lonely too. I've tried some new hobbies, like dancing, to try make it easier, but like all things it takes a long time to break into a new group and actually become friends with with people. I'll keep trying though. I love dancing even though I'm not very good!

You're right I'm all vaxxed up! It's a real head scratcher. I don't have any physical symptoms other than being tired and having a sore head but the mental symptoms are awful! And of course having no physical symptoms (no cold symptoms) makes me feel like I'm faking it ughhh.

I'm a huge believer of listening to my body when it's in distress so I'm HOPING all this couch time will speed up my recovery.

Make some posts in your favorite communities here. We need the content

Aye aye captain 🫡

Drive!!! What a gorgeous film. I was about to comment that it's my most rewatched too.

What's the knuckle thing?

I'm a language teacher and I'm using Duolingo to keep me humble! Every language sounds like gibberish in the beginning.

That being said, it overstates its own benefits. I only learn when I take detailed notes alongside the app. When I don't, nothing really sticks

Photography and videography are a kind of technology. It's ubiquitous now, but still quite new.

The concept of recording every detail of your life in photorealistic quality (as opposed to, say, writing it down) is relatively new too. I thought this season did a good job of exploring the effect that sort of technology has on us. Do things get unearthed that should have stayed secret? When is searching for the truth at the expense of someone's privacy justified? How would the Loch and Mazey Day stories differ if they were set in the 1500s?

Not bad! Had my first shift in a new job last night and I LOVED it! It's just a part time thing a few hours a week but I really feel like I'm playing to my strengths in my job at last.

Had a bit of a wild weekend (happy pride!) so I've been doing my best to eat clean, exercise and take lots of supplements. Did my first spin class in years yesterday and it wasn't complete torture! Still not feeling 100% but I've definitely been through worse.

Would you, in your situation currently, survive financially if you woke up tomorrow without the ability to read or write?

The awkwardness in social situations is a killer. Have you found it's gotten any easier over time to deal with that?

Joined! Thank you! It's very quiet in there right now but there's one very determined mod making daily check in posts. I'm going to keep them company. Anyone else in this thread who's sober or sober-curious, looks like a nice spot to hang out in the absence of a subreddit.

Best of luck with all your language learning endeavours!

I love my microwave too. Had to get a new one recently as our old one bit the dust. It meant a whole week without microwave lentils or precooked meals that I'd frozen. I was so lost! I'm not a huge fan of cooking so the micro is my friend.

How was moving with a cat? Did you let them wander outdoors straight away or did you keep them in for a bit?

I know moving is something I'll have to do with mine at some stage and I'm so worried about how it'll go!

making my home livable and pleasant.

It sickens me that this isn't something we get any compensation for. When I'm not in paid employment it's something I spend a lot of time working on. It's not easy work either! It's so weird how it's totally separate from paid employment, along with caring responsibilities that happen within the home. It's such hard work like.

This is not what anyone wants to hear, but the truth is as an adult you can't perfect a language without studying it. Obviously there are exceptions to every rule! Some people pick up language more naturally than others. But in my experience it's the students who put the work in outside of class that progress faster.

It's also true that we have strengths and weaknesses in language (sometimes even in our native language). A person who aces an oral exam might do terribly in their writing exam. A good student is aware of their own flaws and practices in the areas they find hardest.

In terms of how to study, it depends firstly on your level and secondly on the area you want to work most on: reading, writing, listening or speaking.

If you are at A1 level, you will benefit most from being exposed to language aimed towards that level, i.e. grammar books, language learning podcasts etc. When you reach around a B1 level I recommend looking at real life target language examples such as TV shows, books, news articles and so on. There's not much point coming to them too early and being discouraged by how little you understand.

If oral language is what you struggle with the most, try to find a conversation circle to practice with. Many of these can now be found online thanks to Covid!

Writing is one of the hardest areas to progress in, in my opinion, because realistically you want someone going over anything you write with a fine tooth comb to point out any mistakes. If you need to get better at writing in your target language I highly recommend hiring a tutor or trying out a class that focuses on writing.

Sorry if this isn't the fun answer you want to hear! But don't worry, my students think I'm a buzzkill too 😅

Agreed. Plus you can't see how much butter is in the sauce when someone else prepares it! Pure musselly bliss

I had a really nice week! I took the week off and it lined up nicely with my partner being mostly off too. We took a day to go out cycling and sea swimming. Also got to sit in the pub with their friends which I hadn't done in ages. I was also invited to a book club meeting which my friend runs because apparently no one had read the book they were meant to and she had loads of food going spare. I met some really nice people through that! I hope I get to hang out with them again. I might even read some books haha!

Starting a new job today teaching! I'm nervous af and super apprehensive but I'm always like this before something new. I'm sure it'll be fine once I settle into the new routine. Just have to get over those first week jitters!

I'm car free for financial reasons too haha! There's also a decent car sharing app where I live which I can use when I really need a car, like for going out to the countryside or moving something bulky. Between the upkeep of my bike, public transport tickets and occasionally renting a shared car, the cost of getting around is really low!

helLO! They are gorgeous! Gibe them lots of treats for being such good cats pls x

Congrats to you too!! How was your experience on naltrexone? Did it help with withdrawal symptoms or does it work a different way?

I'm so sorry to hear that. My apologies, I can't say I have any specific advice from a place of experience. I hope you have a strong support network outside of your immediate family that you can lean on at the moment, it's hard to find space for yourself and your own emotions when you're also trying to support other people. I wish you and your family all the best x