u/Medical_Butterfly390

i’ve been trying to call them for 2.5 hours now and my calls kept ending abruptly, so i’ve only been on hold for an hour and 48 minutes. i have nothing going on today but this is ridiculous. they definitely have to rework this so people aren’t on hold for hours

i’m tired of hearing about a study featuring over 2400 toddlers, i just have a financial aid question

this isn’t a vent/rant post. i just had to choose a flair

i reached out to them last year and it went well even if it was a short conversation. i’m most likely not gonna reach out to them this time cause they removed me as a follower on instagram and unfollowed me a week after they wished me a happy birthday last year, but we still have a friend streak on duolingo after all this time so i guess it‘s not all bad lol. but yeah i’m guessing they just don’t wanna be contacted cause of that unfollowing thing

i really hope they’re doing well. i know i could bring up the relationship we had, but the truth is that it’s over and if i ever see them again, it’ll be different. sometimes i think about them and hope we can just be friends again, but i don’t know if it would be as fulfilling knowing we used to date. that’s my problem, not their‘s. i know shit hasn’t always gone their way, so i’m hoping today is different and they can do whatever they wanna do, whether it’s visiting some place, resting in bed all day, or something else.

happy 23rd birthday. you’ve made me a better person since meeting you and i‘m sure others you’ve crossed paths with feel the same way

i’m taking a class at lone star in the fall in addition to my UH classes, but how do i make sure my lone star class‘ credit is applied to my pell grant so i can get my money?

is that was a consortium agreement is for? and if so, what’s the process to get it done?

ngl i stopped listening to the podcast maybe around mid-2023 or something but i still follow them on instagram cause i’m nostalgic for their older videos. i tried listening to a more recent podcast and i just couldn’t get into it. anyone else feel this way?

i’ve been a self-taught singer for four years and took lessons for six months last year. i also have been writing and recording original music for eight years. since the place i went to lessons for shut down, i contacted my college and asked if they had resources for lessons, and i ended up doing a completely random audition that consisted of finding my range and sight-reading a short easy passage.

the person i met with decided i have what it takes to be in their chamber choir as a male tenor and that i have “great potential“. however, i’m hesitant to say yes cause i know it’ll be a huge commitment that’ll not only get in the way of my other college classes, but my original music as well (for context i’m currently recording an album that i wanna finish within the next six months). i was really just wanting to take lessons to keep my voice more consistent, but this just feels like such a great opportunity despite the fact that i might feel mentally drained from it with the extra practicing, concerts, time away from personal music and other classes, etc.

i have roughly 3-5 days to decide according to the person i met with at my school, but the sooner i decide, the better, according to them. do y’all have any advice?

my laryngologist recommended therapy (specifically counseling) due to my LPR (essentially acid reflux that goes up to my vocal cords), which has symptoms that can be worsened due to stress. i also sing and LPR can affect my voice so i’m thinking about getting therapy while also taking voice lessons.

however, i still live with my parents and i wanna drive somewhere else to have in-person therapy for that reason, but i also know online is way more flexible. i’m just nervous that my parents will hear me if it’s a video call, or that i won’t feel fully listened to unless i’m in the room with a therapist.

any suggestions or advice?

the way steve's voice sounds in the second verse reminds me of tems sometimes like when he says "i don't wanna slow dance" and "let's go baby, come on"

idk it tickles my brain in a great way i just wanted to say that. makes me wish she was on the song

to my understanding, it's a music group but a media/network thing as well. i'm wondering if it gets expanded upon in the media/network route what that'll look like

i will say the concept of one place that puts on artists that not as many people know about is good

i’m 23 and have been single for a while now. i‘m in college and typically go to live shows, thrift, work out, and go to miscellaneous places that look interesting (museums, record/book stores) in my free time.

i’ve met some people through these activities, but no one i‘d be interested in dating. my friends who are in relationships right now either met their partners at one-off parties, dating apps, or through school. however, all of them either don’t go out like that anymore, or they graduated, or they have more time-consuming jobs. overall i’m looking for something serious but don’t fully mind it being casual depending on the circumstances.

i‘ve used dating apps and other apps like posh to find events that i can maybe meet people at, but it just seems like i’m infiltrating pre-existing friend groups rather than meeting people who also wanna meet people. if anyone has any suggestions of places and times to go out, i’d appreciate it

i've had to drop a class after the semester started, but never before. if i go to manage classes, drop classes, then choose what i wanna drop before the semester starts. will it get put on my record and have less chances to drop in the future?

i got a wedge pillow about a week ago and i’m consistently getting less hours of sleep since i started using it. i’ll get anywhere between 5 and 6.5 hours of sleep and i honestly can’t tell if it’s helping that much besides not waking up with a dry throat as often.

the one i got is at a 7.5 inch incline which isn’t uncomfortable, i just can’t stay asleep for more than 3-5 hours at a time on it. then again i’ve had issues of waking up in the middle of the night before, but i think it’s making it worse.

do i just keep trying with this pillow or try another one or what?

i’m gonna see my laryngologist about a month from now. the last time i saw them was a year and a half ago and they concluded that my LPR was mainly stress-induced and suggested counseling.

however, i never got around to starting it, and i actually think food is causing it now too. if i eat anything too quickly, i’ll hiccup and feel mucus in my throat. alkaline water seems to help, but only until i eat again.

the things that really affect me mentally about it are that i’m a musician who sings, likes to strength-train, and i’m honestly a pretty picky eater mainly just eating chicken and various forms of cheese, bread, crackers, and some plant-based meats most of the time, so it’s been really hard finding foods that’ll satisfy me and make my body feel better. pepcid and famotidine didn’t do much from what i remember, i’ve been using a wedge pillow for about a week but haven’t noticed much help, and my stress is through the roof which creates a feedback loop of anxiety-like symptoms.

many things that i love, if done incorrectly, will make my symptoms worse and i’m just so sick of feeling like i need to be on top of things all the time. i don’t wanna reshape my whole life just for this disease i acquired after randomly getting sick three years ago.

the last time i can remember my LPR being much less of an issue was summer-winter 2025. i was in singing lessons and wasn’t strength training (only walking sometimes). long story short the place i got lessons from shut down and i don’t wanna cut strength training out of my life, so i’m just feeling like i’m at a crossroads

1. i can either ignore my LPR and just live life as if it doesn’t exist, still feeling bad in my throat
2. give up everything i know can potentially trigger it and live a less happy life, even if my throat feels better
3. really take the time to find exactly what causes it and what i can do to end it entirely, if that’s possible

to summarize, my home studio acoustics suck and i’m working on an album right now, so i’m debating on whether i should buy/make my own treatment or finish my album’s vocals at another studio

here are the details:

i wanna make a change so i’m putting this here in hopes of getting practical advice/direction. i think i’m finally accepting the reality that in its current state, my space just isn’t good for recording much at all. i have no proper treatment and monitor in my bedroom/record vocals in my closet. i‘m aware it’s bad. i know i can either make my own panels, buy some, or go to another studio to record.

vocals are pretty much the only thing i record with a mic at home at this point since i‘ve been going to other studios to record things like acoustic guitar. i also record vocals at home just because i have acid reflux issues that sometimes make my voice sound grainy or raspy in its higher frequencies and i still don’t have a good hold on it, so it can be unpredictable when i’ll have a “good” vocal day and don’t wanna waste an engineer’s time (or my money) at a professional studio if my voice doesn’t sound its best. however, i know acoustic treatment can get expensive really fast and don’t know how to make my own.

i know i’m gonna treat my space at some point, but i’m just debating on whether or not it’s best for right now to finish the vocals at a studio like i’ve been doing with acoustic guitar, or just buy acoustic treatment now so i can have better home recordings.

any advice or opinion is appreciated

my grandma died a few days ago. i only saw her in-person a few times ever and knew her more as a voice over the phone who’d wish me a happy birthday and talk to my dad once she got really old (mid 80s to 91). i’m not super affected by it, i feel worse for my dad (her son) more than anything. it just feels like my life is on hold in some ways.

i’m able to exercise and leave the house, but when it comes to my summer class, it just feels like i should be doing something else and end up thinking about mortality. because the class is so fast paced, i won’t be able to leave to travel out of state to the burial. i’m just worried that i’m not gonna be able to get anything done

i don’t think i’d be as nervous if it was an online class, but the class is in-person and we’re starting a design project that works with the university itself, so i can’t really be slacking right now. anybody go through something similar or have tips on how to stay focused on my class?

this isn’t really a vent or rant, but i had to choose something for the flair

they got me onto duolingo a little before we started dating. we have a 543 day streak together, longer than what our relationship was lol

the thing that confuses me is they ended up randomly unfollowing me on instagram last october, just a week after wishing me a happy birthday, but we still share a duolingo streak. part of me likes to think it’s just so they could move on, but my friend thinks they found someone else. i’m not upset with that possibility, in fact, i don’t really feel much from thinking about it. i just miss how much fun we had together in addition to our intimacy and how much time we spent together.

if they ever read this, i wish i could’ve done things differently to maybe be with you just a little longer. i know we weren’t 100% certain if we both had the same future-life goals, but i still think about you and wish we could be in each others lives in some way. i hope you’re doing well and are surrounded by people who care about you and treat you with respect. i hope you get to see the dog you share with your past roommate often enough. despite the fact our relationship didn’t last, you‘ve been more help to me than i can say. i wish you the best and hope we can talk again at some point

i was diagnosed with LPR in 2023 and i still feel the symptoms from it occasionally, mostly a slightly raspier voice and a mucus feeling in my throat.

i also started going to a gym 1.5 years ago, but have now realized i have to make some changes so i can still build some muscle and limit my LPR.

i‘ve swapped some exercises for different ones (ex: upright chest press instead of flat bench press, leg press instead of barbell squat, and i’m still trying to find an adequate ab exercise). but should i be doing anything else like lowering the weight i’m lifting and increasing reps? i’d really like to keep lifting but every time i read stuff online, it seems like it’s not ideal in a lot of ways

i've had LPR for a few years and it usually comes and goes in how bad the symptoms are, but after doing some research, i'm realizing i should probably avoid certain exercises (or at least the angle i'm doing them) so i don't make my symptoms worse

all i've heard so far is to try to avoid laying flat on a bench or the floor and avoid moving my head down to my core for ab exercises. so instead of flat bench press i can maybe do incline or an upright chest press, maybe pull-ups or leg raisies for core (hopefully), and idk what else

is there anything else i should avoid/sub in for another exercise?

i’m a white guy with 3a/3b curls and a medium hair length (my bangs will go down to my eye if i pull them down all the way). i also work out in the mornings so i have dealt with sweat buildup and itching throughout the day. however, it’s mostly gotten better. this is what i do

every day i work out in the mornings, i wet my hair to get rid of bedhead, then use a diffuser to blow dry my curls. this is so i don’t itch as much and my curls end up looking decent while exercising

after that, i’m on a cycle of conditioning every day with ouidad advanced climate control conditioner. before that, though, i’ll use ketoconazole 2% on one day and leave it in for five minutes before rinsing, another day but with neutrogena tsal+ instead, and on day three i just use conditioner. i also detangle my curls with a wide tooth comb while wetting it before using the ketoconazole.

once i get out of the shower, i’ll pat my hair a little bit just so it’s not totally dripping wet, then i’ll blow dry my hair again with a diffuser.

i also use rogaine and zoryve topical foam once day, but i might start using rogaine twice a day if i can fit it in with my schedule. i also have to get my hair cut around once a month or so or else the length will cause more hair loss that isn’t necessary

i wish i had this info sooner so here y’all go in case y’all are feeling lost

apparently distrokid forces those who collab with distrokid artists to pay for a subscription in order to get their royalty splits, which is just really weird business imo and makes me wanna consider switching distributors. i'm also looking for one that has support for multi-disc album submissions.

any suggestions? i've worked with an artist who uses symphonic, but idk anything else about it besides i could access my royalty split for free