u/Pale-Community2232

I normally work from home but my internet failed me this week so I had to make the one hour drive to my workplace’s office that very few people actually use. I also had to make up time for spending half of Monday desperately trying to get my internet to work, so I also worked a 12 hour day.

Guys. It was the most productive day I’ve had in a long time. It was exhausting with the long hours for sure, but I stayed focus for the entire time that I wanted to stay focused.

So I guess I need to make my home office resemble a dead quiet soul-sucking grey cubicle because it turns out I work best in that environment, given I have earbuds for music. It’s shocking to me because my brain craves stimulation, so I usually fill up my spaces with cool stuff to look at that’s just the right amount of stimulating. Like a giant tapestry of a forest. But if I completely eliminate everything except the bare necessities, I can focus very well.

Except that’s only in theory when it comes to home offices. In reality, I know having no options besides to work is hard to achieve at home, and I have to work from home because I can’t afford the rent in my company’s location. And I know that if I’m painfully bored by a room, I will either toy with my phone or just leave and seek out the most interesting room in the house. Which sucks because I like separating rooms by purpose because it confines the things I need for specific tasks to that space so I don’t lose anything. It’s one of the few adhd hacks that work for me

Anyways, I still don’t know how to decorate an office given I’ve never had one until now (and I rent). Feng shui has helped in the past but man do I wish these things came with a manual.

Eh, maybe one of the home interior subreddits can help me out with this.

What about you? Does the boring office aesthetic help your focus? What does?

Edit: I suppose by win I mean they scheduled repairs after trying to intimidate me into either fixing it myself or living with it, and I finally got a break from constant micromanagement. I guess it’s not really a win and I’m just that exhausted

So some background is due, for the past month I have been fighting my landlord on the grounds of failure to make necessary repairs, failure to maintain a safe and habitable living space, retaliation, threats of eviction, and violation of right to quiet enjoyment. Yesterday they finally caved and scheduled a mold inspection and repairs.

Honestly, the written record and voice mails they’ve left are pretty damning. I didn’t doubt that I would win one way or another, then they went on an angry rant in writing that confirmed everything that wasn’t already airtight.

Yesterday they notified me that my lease will not be renewed, which was to be expected. Then today they said they can’t let me out of the lease because they won’t be around to inspect the unit for damages due to taking a one way trip outside the country with no known return date. No, seriously. I asked and they just shrugged, left an email address to contact them through, and a number for a contractor. That’s it.

This comes as a bit of a surprise to me because they have been telling me nonstop for months that if I don’t like it I should leave. It became their catchphrase, but now they’ve done a full 180. It’s also a problem because I found a new place that has everything on my wishlist while also being within my budget, and I want to sign for it because it’s definitely not going to be available in a week.

So what should I do, and how do I get out of my lease? Yes, I did ask my lawyer, but since the only way to contact them directly is through messages on an online portal, they’re as slow as molasses to answer questions. I don’t have that kind of time.

Edit: PLEASE ACCEPT SUBREDDIT RULES BEFORE COMMENTING SO I CAN SEE YOUR COMMENTS.

To preface, we are seeing a behavioralist. We are doing cooperative care and she is on medication. She is not aggressive, just very anxious, and running water or bath time in general is a big trigger. I understand this is partially my fault as I used incorrect techniques to groom her that might’ve caused pain and discomfort. This is my first dog that I’ve raised myself, my childhood dogs were bathed outside with the garden hose and no regard for their comfort, just punishment and intimidation to make them comply with what was easiest for us. I know better now, but the damage is done. Now I need to get her to trust me again and trust that bath time will not cause harm to her.

She needs to be bathed at least weekly for skin allergy prevention, or else she’ll try to eat her paws. I have a bit of a plan but I could use tips and feedback.

1. I know the slick tub bottom was part of the problem, so I’ve fixed that with a nonslip bathtub mat and she’s relaxed quite a bit.
2. Positive reinforcement with treats throughout the bath is a challenge when your hands are wet or covered in soap, and she is not the type to go for a lick mat stuck to the wall. For the time being I am using a pate that is approved for her diet and putting it into a squeezy tube, but I am working on creating alternatives. Getting her to take treats is hard when she’s nervous so I plan to smear a bit on her teeth or upper lip so she’ll instinctively lick instead.
3. For her nerves, I’ve learned that full sedation doesn’t work. It just traumatizes her further because she doesn’t know what’s happening, just that it’s happening against her will. I’m looking into herbal supplements that will be much gentler for calming her while not putting her to sleep. Current plan is to test a small dose of hemp oil since that’s what I gave her as a puppy and it worked rather well.
4. For handling the bath itself, I will make sure the room is heated and the water is warm so she isn’t uncomfortable. I won’t use running water, just a massive bucket of water and a cup. Then anytime the water is turned on, I want her to see it’s just to fill the bucket. It’s impractical for full baths, but I only really need to rinse her and apply ointment.
5. The biggest obstacle would be getting her into the tub. I can tell that she views me picking her up as forcing her into the bath and it’s a violation of trust. She is big enough that she can walk in and out the tub on her own without jumping, and I’ve seen her do it for getting out. If I can get her to do that instead of air jailing her, that would make a huge difference, but right now she has developed a Pavlovian response to hide somewhere I can’t reach her when she hears running water. Any advice on incentivizing her willingly getting into the tub would be appreciated.

Please let me know what you think, and thanks!

Edit: forgot to add, the behavioralist we are seeing is great with medication, but inexperienced with training. He is also the only behavioralist in town if not my entire state. When asked about this he just suggested never bathing her at all. Obviously that doesn’t work.

Hi, I’m trying to come up with a lickable treat idea my dog will love that doesn’t involve rice, animal-based gelatin, or protein from meat. I noticed that she goes nuts for virbac vanilla and mint toothpaste—so much so that I can use it as a treat! However, I don’t want to just feed her toothpaste as reward for training, so I was wondering if anyone had any ideas for a vanilla flavored paste?

She of course has other treats that are vet approved, but lickable ones have always been the most effective and it’s something that I haven’t been able to give her. I know there’s pate, but I want to make something that will last a long time without spoiling, especially since it will be used in the outdoor heat.

Like many I’m apartment hunting and finding that the market sucks. Luckily I have 5 months to find a place, but I still really need help in making sure it’s someplace that I can stay for several years because I’m broke from mov/ing so much!

Can anyone recommend an agent/company who works with renters? Preferably someone who knows the rental market and is familiar enough with ABQ neighborhoods and landlords to provide good advice, though I know renter real estate agents are limited to begin with.