u/AlaskaTech1

Apparently xAI is running behind on their water recycling plant so it’s up to us to avoid drinking water so they can keep their job, planet, and maybe human destroying data centers we never wanted running smoothly 🙄 And am I the only one who had the highest electricity bills ever the past few months despite turning my A/C temp up to 78?

https://www.localmemphis.com/article/news/local/mlgw-urges-residents-to-protect-memphis-water-supply-as-data-centers-xai-face-no-guidelines/522-e9ffee24-66b8-480d-a97c-4514dfc38dc2

I've owned Danes since 1993. I bought Reginald Barkley on 7/21/2024 from a breeder near Hot Springs, AR. He was a gorgeous 16 month old Euro intact fawn male. I wanted a second Dane as a companion for our family, especially our 4 year old rescue Daniff. The breeder told me he was well behaved, healthy, got along great with dogs, cats, crate trained, etc. The breeder lied. I got him home and discovered Reginald did not get along with dogs. He attacked our gentle Daniff Charlie repeatedly soon after arriving. My husband and I were puzzled at the confusing behavior. He seemed good natured at the breeder's home.

We soon discovered his reactivity was a form of fear based resource guarding toward me, "his" human. He was so young and I was his third home already. But the behavior was scary and I didn't want us to get hurt. I contacted the breeder who refused to take him back. I knew then she lied and was aware he was aggressive all along. My husband said, "Let's work with him. I'm sure he's scared but we can solve this with enough patience and love." But we couldn't afford expensive trainers so we studied extensively and decided to train Reginald ourselves.

I had successfully worked with my previous Danes' separation anxiety so we tried various training techniques with Reginald, mostly involving enforcing physical boundaries when requesting attention from his people and decompression time alone when he felt anxious. We started him on anxiety medicine and got him eyelid surgery for inward turning eyelashes and neutered a couple of months later.

Sadly, his housemate Charlie died from a freak accident soon after his surgeries. By then he was doing much better. Our family was devastated and Reginald was sad and lonely. After a while, we got another Dane, our merle female Juno, now 16 months, and they became best friends. It is an amazing success story. He can now interact with other dogs safely and happily although we do not allow him around more than a few simultaneously.

Many people insist anxious adult dogs must live in one dog households. I think that does them a disservice. Many of them can live with a canine companion happily with proper training. Having a dog friend reduces their anxiety and loneliness. Reginald is my fiercely loyal protector, more than any dog I've owned. I'm anxious also and see a lot of myself in him. I am glad the breeder refused to take him back. Had she done so, I would have missed out on the most precious canine love in my life and he might not have recovered emotionally from yet another rejection that was actually just a simple miscommunication. Photo of Reginald and I, taken yesterday, and Reginald and Juno after we brought her home. She looked up to big brother from the beginning.

It's my responsibility to help me; not anyone else's. Obsessing about my avoidant's behavior (or lack thereof) and talking myself blue in the face did nothing to change him. So I'm making a tentative self care plan. Join the gym. My insurance offers a free membership. Book the Labor Day getaway for the puppies and myself. Restart my meditation each day. Set up a standing appointment at my day spa a couple of times a month. They put girly goo on my face and it makes me feel like a queen for pretty cheap. How will you take care of you and make you feel better about yourself?

I got married a few weeks ago and I am wearing a moissanite solitaire engagement ring on an 18K gold Euroshank 3 mm wide engraved band in a size 5. It fit fine at first but now it’s too tight over the knuckle. I can’t get it off without extreme effort. My knuckle is sizing at a 6. We haven’t bought the wedding bands yet and are looking but I need to solve this sizing problem first. I tried other rings on and can’t put anything smaller than a 6 over my knuckle. If I size it up a 6 it will be so big. But sizing beads that large will probably hurt and I don’t want a ring Snuggie long term. I was wanting an old mine cut band or similar. Advice? Photo of ring from our wedding photographer.