My boy Boba, as drawn by me
▲ 76 r/budgies

My boy Boba, as drawn by me

He has many phases/looks. These are some of them. I love him so much.

u/himateo — 1 day ago

How to keep barn animals out of cheese making area?

So I get real tired of trying to make/grab cheese in the barn when the animals are inside, so I built a fence. But, each time I go back in the barn, animals are in there. How do I keep them out of this area? And how are they crossing the fence?

u/himateo — 23 days ago

Smell of weed triggers anxiety (and no, I don't use)

I'm 50 years old and have dealt with anxiety off an on since I was 17. I've been on anti-depressants since 17 and it's mostly handled my anxiety. Mostly.

I quit a full-time job in 2020 and have been self-employed since then, which has massively helped my anxiety and overall mental health. But as I near menopause, everything has shifted and my anxiety has taken some weird turns, which I can only assume has do with my ever-changing hormone levels.

Though we live in a house, I have regularly smelled weed coming in my bedroom window at night. I'm a whore for fresh air, so going to sleep with the windows open to cool down the house is one of my favorite things... nice cool air coming in while I go to sleep.

There are two pot smokers near me: one right next to us, and one across the street. They wait until the sun goes down and then smoke outside (they can't smoke inside their rental houses).

I'm not anti-pot, but as I've been trying to deal with this issue I'm realizing the the crux of my anxiety - as it's always been - is lack of control. If I don't have control over something, my anxiety spikes. Then come the ruminations and what-ifs...

* what if even with the windows closed it somehow seeps in?
* what if it gets legalized in my state and then I have to smell it everywhere all the time?
* what if we get new neighbors on the other side who also smoke weed?
* is there anywhere I can live/move where I don't have to smell weed all the time?

Writing it out, I know it's silly. I know I'm anxious over nothing, really. Smelling weed won't hurt me. But it's knowing I can't do something anymore (sleeping with the windows open) without possibly running into my trigger. It's the lack of control.

Also worth noting, the last time I smoked weed was 1998. It gave me INTENSE anxiety, and I never smoked it again. I've smelled it off and on over the years, but it coming into my home through open windows is something that's been happening the last few years, and recently, for some reason, it's spiked my anxiety.

How do you all handle something that triggers your anxiety when you can't control the trigger? My home is my safe space, so I'm feel very trapped right now... which of course makes me anxious. :P My husband isn't as bothered by it, so while he's sympathetic, he doesn't really understand why it ramps up my anxiety.

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u/himateo — 1 month ago

Neighbors weed smell coming into my house through open windows - US, <700SF, $500 or less

Hello! I live in a 720SF home and one of the few joys of my life is having my windows open at night while I sleep. Due to a few new neighbors, I now regularly get weed smell wafting into my bedroom window at night. I usually catch it quick, but it smells terrible, and it lingers. Most nights I just don't leave the windows open anymore.

FWIW, weed is NOT legal in my state.

Bedroom is less than 200SF. Our houses are close together, but no walls are shared - these are single family homes. The current offender is across the street and the weed they smoke is pungent and drifts over 50 feet into my home.

I don't think I need anything heavy duty, but I'd like to be able to leave my windows open during the spring/summer/fall and not worry about my house smelling like weed.

Do I have any options here? I'm primarily interested in putting the unit in my bedroom.

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u/himateo — 2 months ago

New to Android/Pixel - when will I get Android 17?

I switched to Android a few months ago and have a Pixel 9. I keep seeing everyone talking about 17 and I want it! I checked my settings and I have 16 with no mention of an update being available. When do I get it? Am I just being impatient?

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u/himateo — 2 months ago
▲ 1 r/Adobe

License revoked out of nowhere May 22 2026 - do I have a chance at getting it back?

My company purchased Adobe Creative Suite 6 for me in 2013/2014. Just me. I left the company in 2020, as my position was eliminated. I took the CD and license with me, as it was rightfully mine. The company has since dissolved.

As of yesterday, I got the familiar "your license has been revoked" after using this software on my home laptop for 5+ years.

I spoke with a person at Adobe via chat, which was no help. They gave me "we no longer have the software to activate your license" blah blah blah, but did not explain why my license was revoked out of nowhere. Of course they tried to up-sell me on CC, which ain't happening.

Do I have ANY recourse here? Though I have the original CD and license, I do NOT have the original purchase order, but I know it was bought from a legitimate seller. I was able to get my license added to my Adobe Account last night (no clue why it wasn't in there to begin with) and then attempt to download their version of CS6. Same error upon trying to activate.

Has anyone gotten Adobe to successfully reinstate their "revoked" license? If so, how? This software is rightfully mine and was paid for by the company I worked for. I have been using it issue-free for years on my laptop. I'm not sure what triggered the license revocation, and I had uninstalled that Adobe Genuine software checker long ago. I don't need any support from Adobe, just my software license THAT I PAID FOR re-instated.

I uninstalled the software last night, and attempted to re-install, but the "activation" part won't let me proceed as it tells me my license is revoked.

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u/himateo — 3 months ago

iPhone user of nearly 20 years - left for Pixel!

Kinda bummed to see so many people in here hating on their phones! LOL I left my iPhone 16 after having an iPhone since... well, the first one. I've had an iPhone and nothing else since that time. I had tried Android 8+ years ago and hated it. But after iOS 26 and that stupid liquid glass and the keyboard issues, I'd had enough. I HATED using my iPhone - it was no longer an enjoyable experience.

I wanted an Android whose camera closely matched the iPhone 16's, as that's my most important feature. I settled on the Pixel 9 after trying out a Pixel 8a for a month.

I LOVE IT. And I'm not going back to iPhone anytime soon.

It's not perfect, but for me, it ticks all the boxes.

Here's my take on leaving iPhone for Pixel. It's not been perfect, and there are some cons, but I love it enough that I sold my iPhone and am moving on.

PROS:
* Better UI. I hated how complicated iOS had become. Yes, Android is a mess of settings as well (I can no longer just know where a setting is - I have to search), but I really enjoy the UI more than I did years ago when I tried Android.
* I can finally type a sentence without having to redo it 10X. For some insane reason, the iPhone's keyboard has gotten really bad over the years. And each update... doesn't fix it. Gboard isn't perfect, but it's miles better. And yes, I know I can get Gboard on the iPhone.
* Using my phone is fun again! Yes, I know, Apple has come a long way with widgets, customization, etc, but using Android is just more fun. For me.
* The camera seems to be on-par with iPhone 16's. I wish all the editing options weren't spread over so many tabs, but so far, I'm liking it.
* Getting things on/off my phone is way easier. I didn't use Apple's cloud, so getting my pictures OFF my iPhone was always a nightmare. Way easier with Android.
* Love the "Add Me" thing in photos.
* Better price for a comparable phone (esp when buying a gen or two older).
* Seven years of updates. Nice.
* Overall, gestures and back button integration is better.
* Firefox on Android lets you install extensions. No more ads on YouTube! :D BIG WIN THERE.

CONS:
* I miss FaceTime and Apple Pay. Almost all my family/friends have iPhones, BUT I only used FaceTime with 1-2 of them. Same for ApplePay. However, I still have an iPad, so I can still take/make FaceTime calls from that device.
* Google Play store sucks in comparison to iTunes. The apps aren't as good when comparing using them on each device. Two of the worst are Facebook and Instagram. But also... the app experience overall on iOS is just better.
* No comparable Health app. Google version isn't really an app, and you can't DO anything with it.
* Do not like the whole "save a copy" thing when editing photos. I don't want the original. I want the edited image only!
* REALLY miss the "jump to top" feature on iPhone. I still try and use that on my Pixel only to be met with a sad face.

MEH:
* Build quality. I don't care about glass back, premium feel, glass used, bezels, etc. I drop my phone on the regular, so I put a case and screen protector on it day 1.
* Photos app. Just as messy and confusing as Apple's Photos app. Like, why aren't all my pics in one place? Why is there a separate album for screenshots? And why aren't those screenshots in with all my other pics?
* AI. I don't want it in everything. I turned it off on iPhone (Apple Intelligence). It's something I don't want or need, so I appreciate the option to NOT use it.
* I see a LOT of people complaining about battery life. I guess I haven't experienced that. I play 4+ hours of Stardew Valley a day and I am down to about 10% at the end of the day, combined with other things.
* Bluetooth. I don't use it much, so don't experience the problems others talk about.
* Why can't Google name a product and stuck with it? So many Google product names have come and gone. I can't count how many times I've read over the years "Google X is now Y". STOP IT.
* App drawer vs App library. Took some getting used to the App Drawer (that you can't have folders in!), but I'm getting there.

I'm really happy with my Pixel. I wasn't interested in the 10, but look forward to seeing what the 11 has to offer.

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u/himateo — 3 months ago

Hey Pixel Peeps! I just upgraded my phone from a Google Pixel 8a to Google Pixel 9. Both are running Android 16. My 8a had these cool colored icons in the Settings app, but my 9 does not. I do not have themed icons enabled, so it's not that.

Anyone know how to get the colored icons back like on the 8a (shown left)?

u/himateo — 4 months ago