u/Normal_Standard8211

there's a third space of sorts in my area that put out a form for workshop suggestions. as i've become quite interested in tiny ecosystems, i put in a suggestion for a walstad workshop. they liked the idea and reached out
i want to make this as low budget and ecofriendly as possible. (note: im pretty sure it will be a paid workshop so i can spend some money on materials, but still). i’m hoping to receive donations of glass jars + encouraging people to bring their own. cost wise i’m most concerned about substrate. ive only ever used aqua soil and i feel it's a bit pricy.
i have a shit ton of bladder snails, scuds, and frog bit to provide for people. some rotala cuttings too. i also have an eco/walstad tank that i started from a local pond, thats got lots of healthy bacteria and micro fauna.
i really want people to be able to observe an ecosystem and to keep it beginner friendly.
i was thinking glass container, substrate, rotala, frogbit, pothos cutting, one or two snails and scuds, a sample of my ecotank water + fill the rest with preconditioned tap water (i'll confirm healthy levels beforehand).
anyway my questions are:

1. will this even work?
2. how big would the glass container need to be? i’m mostly thinking of scuds and snails
3. any easier/cheaper substrate besides aqua soil?

any other advice, tips, corrections are appreciated. by no means am i a pro at this. i only have 4 walstad tanks: betta, shrimp, scuds, and a new one that only has plants and snails rn. i really love it and want to share it with my community
i did let the people know that the worship would be more intermediate / adults.

there's a third space of sorts in my area that put out a form for workshop suggestions. as i've become quite interested in tiny ecosystems, i put in a suggestion for a terrarium workshop. they liked the idea and reached out
i want to make this as low budget and ecofriendly as possible. i’m hoping to receive donations of glass jars + encouraging people to bring their own. substrate, simple plants, and i'll be able to provide springtails and isopods.
i'm debating closed system vs not closed, whichever is easiest for beginners.
any specific substrate and / or plant suggestions? again the goal is to make it budget and beginner friendly.
located on the equator, so the simple foraging for moss is not an option lol.
any suggestions are appreciated!!

yall i've been on lamotrigine for like the last 5 years. I started off kinda low but been 300+ (daily) for the last 3 years. this medication dead ass SAVED my life mentally.
Anyway, I’m also a huge stoner. Moreso back before I started taking lamotrigine. Since I've been on lamotrigine I've mostly been a "social smoker." like once or twice a week, or a week straight for a friends wedding but rarely do that. a special occasions/ special treat type thing.
In the last year, I got reaaaallllyyyy into pens again and somehow became a daily smoker...
Anyway, I never told my psych that i smoke. Initially because i felt like it was such a small frequency that it didn't matter. idk why i never was honest the last year- it kinda crept up on me. and i also only see him every 9 months for maintenance since i’m so stable.
ANYWAYYY, now i find out that weed + lamotrigine can have really bad effects long term 😭 and i’m scared that i fucked my health already or something
mentally i could get over lol but apparently it's really bad for my liver
someone comfort me pLS

yall i've been on lamotrigine for like the last 5 years. I started off kinda low but been 300+ (daily) for the last 3 years. this medication dead ass SAVED my life mentally.
Anyway, I’m also a huge stoner. Moreso back before I started taking lamotrigine. Since I've been on lamotrigine I've mostly been a "social smoker." like once or twice a week, or a week straight for a friends wedding but rarely do that. a special occasions/ special treat type thing.
In the last year, I got reaaaallllyyyy into pens again and somehow became a daily smoker...
Anyway, I never told my psych that i smoke. Initially because i felt like it was such a small frequency that it didn't matter. idk why i never was honest the last year- it kinda crept up on me. and i also only see him every 9 months for maintenance since i’m so stable.
ANYWAYYY, now i find out that weed + lamotrigine can have really bad effects long term 😭 and i’m scared that i fucked my health already or something
mentally i could get over lol but apparently it's really bad for my liver
someone comfort me pLS

TLDR; have to stop smoking permanently for health reasons. Feeling bummed about it

although at times i've gotten really dependent on weed, i've also had some great periods of time just partaking socially or as a special treat a few times a week. the last year i got really into pens again and started smoking daily.
i've always been a big advocate for weed as medicine and i have chronic pain that weed has helped with.
WELL i just found out that one of my long term medications (lamotrigine) is really dangerous to mix with weed. i also found out i have EDS, POTS, EOE, and a few other things, which weed also doesn't go well with.
I can't believe as much as I advocate for the benefits of weed, my dumb ass never thought of medical interactions. I'm feeling quite stupid as I've basically lied to my psychiatrist the last few years. IN MY DEFENSE, I had become a once a week smoker so I didn't think it was a big deal. The last year is when I really went stoner mode again.
Anyway, it sucks knowing that for the sake of my health, I really can't smoke anymore.
Overall, it's been such a great experience & honestly a big part of my personality & just have so many nice stoner memories 🤣❤️
I feel like I'm letting go of an old friend :(

hey all, first major flare and awaiting formal diagnosis. been having excruciating knee pain and cannot reliably bare weight for the last 3 days. been to ER twice cuz i was concerned about numbness in my legs. one thing that really helps is wraps and obviously resting and not walking
well what sucks is now that i've become educated on EDS i can visualize what's happening in my knees 😭😭 i mean i can feel it too- one of the first things i kept saying before pain got bad was that i can feel shit moving around
ahhhh it makes me cringe thinking about it. i’m trying to recover and want to get better but thinking of the state of my knees and body just gives me the ick
i’m autistic and have always been (awfully) good at visualization and empathy. i HATE seeing or hearing about people's injuries for this reason

not diagnosed yet (most likely diagnoses the trifecta due to symptoms and bloodwork) but body has been breaking down under me including autistic burnout, worse vision, worse pain levels, etc... likely triggered by stress from work. 27F. feels like things are getting exponentially worse
i went to ER this morning for extreme debilitating knee pain like screaming crying couldn't walk or straighten my legs. my legs had been cramping for a few days but i brushed it off. took a barre class lots of pointed toes straight legs and i felt that shit in my knees again brushed it off. next day kept complaining about how my knees hurt and felt "loose," and then yeah it escalated.
the doc did x rays of my knees (which never has been done) and said it looked as if my knees are still growing something with the patella idk.
they gave me a pain med through the IV, a shot to help my muscles he put it on my arm, and told me to take naproxen well that was at 3am , naproxen at 3pm it's now 7pm and the pain is BAD again. again can't walk or straighten. feet are freezing legs are starting to get cramps again and numb / tingly from the knee down pretty much
one thing that helps is kinda wrapping my knee in a way everything feels pulled together but i can't put it too tight from circulation
i’m laying flat on bed now with knees over a pillow and ice on them
i’m in so much pain and i don't know what to do, but i feel like the hospital can do nothing for me
is this just the reality?? i have a super visual mind too so it breaks me thinking about how raw and loose my knees are

disclaimer: everyone involved is an adult and this information was shared when my sister was an adult.

so a few years ago, my sister confided in me, siblings, and dad that my maternal grandma molested her.
of course, immediate reactions was concern, support, etc... but here's the thing: she doesn't want us to tell my mom EVER, which first and foremost, is a fucked up situation to put my dad in. him and my mom are still married and that's like an insane position to put someone in to keep a secret like that. now the fact my dad is actually following through w that idk. i feel it must be stressful for him. I DIGRESS
sis wants everything to seem completely normal, so grandma still comes to family gatherings, in which case i have to be nice and sit with/talk to my grandma so that my sis feels more comfortable. what's worse is sis lives out of town, so for her it's like major holidays only. but i live in the same town as my grandma so i see her pretty frequently especially because i live w my parents.
i don't want to sound like a self centered bitch, but it seems really unfair that i've been essentially forced to socialize regularly with a child molester (who btw always wants to hug me, will pinch my butt and make weird comments), lie to my mom, lie to my mom x2 because she's always like "why don't you like grandma?!", AND i have to act normal about it ?!
I’m also autistic so it makes all of this even harder to navigate. i skipped easter with my family because i knew my grandma would be there, and i mentally couldn't handle it.
i’m tired of this lie and being in this position. i feel like it was unfair of my sister to ask this of us. idk what to do....

enough said. being prone to sensory overload with the snoring ahhh!!!! i have no clue why that's the worst sound ever. it's so horribly unpredictable and predictable at the same time. i hate the quality of the sound. i hate him for making the sound lol

seriously tho anyone else struggle with this? i’m sure NTs as well but for me it's especially difficult. he tries to sleep on the couch so that he's sideways but he always ends up snoring anyway. plus i want to be able to sleep next to him

ughhhh

"i've never met a single neurodivergent person that uses their diagnosis as an excuse for poor behavior. for years you have traumatized me, [lil bro], and mom with your emotional outbursts." after sharing an autism diagnosis and trying to explain autistic meltdowns.
there's so much more to that but i’m sure most of you all are familiar with the emotional/verbal abuse, manipulation, and enmeshment that plays a role in this story line and dynamic.
although there's been a mutual recognition between my siblings and i that my mom is a problem, it sucks in recent years to see my GC sister give in to the dynamic and maybe start playing narc herself.
all i want to say is "me traumatize mom? the parent is the parent!!! it's always the parents' fault." but i know she won't get it and worry she's too far gone

FOR CONTEXT: i have never been violent and have never directed any negative energy towards my siblings. my emotional outbursts were 9 times out of 10 a response to the emotional and verbal abuse of my marc mom and passive father. even if it did start with an autistic meltdown, it was made worse by my parents. both i and my previous therapists and psychiatrists are well aware that the story being painted is not accurate.

i made a previous post but with this comment and several others, it's clear my family is uncomfortable that i've been diagnosed with a developmental disability because it makes it harder for them to blame me for everything bc i’m a "shitty person."

it sucks having to let go of siblings who end up playing along and being a part of it. this comment is only the tip of the iceberg with her and my other siblings, but it really hit home for me.

anyone else struggle with this? i want a relationship with my siblings but it seems it's a package deal with my mom's narc abuse.

TLDR;
glass vs mesh vs hybrid enclosure?
enclosure dimensions?
drain or no drain?
veiled or panther?
should i start w smaller enclosure?

hi everyone! i've been wanting to get a chameleon for a while and now that i have some more pet keeping experience, i’m ready to take the step forward! before i get a chameleon though, my bf is going to build the enclosure and then i'll plant it / get it set up (we're going bioactive) so that it can mature a bit beforehand
we've done a lot of research and have seen mixed reviews on mesh enclosure vs glass.
we know chams have high humidity needs but also need airflow
we were thinking of doing a hybrid- mesh sides and top, with a glass or acrylic front and solid back. and of course a solid bottom enclosed space for substrate and plants
dimensions will likely be 2x2 x 5 or should we do 3x3x5? i know adults get to be around a foot
i’m not sure if i want a veiled or panther yet, but since i presume they have similar enclosure needs i wanted to let me bf get started with the build while i keep researching
last thing, and kind of important, should i start off with a smaller enclosure while the cham is still small and then upgrade later, or should i start it off in the large enclosure?
also not sure about best mister device or light set up, and we were also looking into adding a drain or if a false bottom is enough
any other key info or advice greatly appreciated!