u/marsaaturnjupiter_x

Idk if it’s just me, cause I live alone and sometimes I announce my tasks while I’m doing them. But lately I realize I do it a lot in public. I’ve never really paid attention to how people in public perceived me.

But today I was at Home Depot and looking around at something I needed and just dictating my thoughts out loud.

Like, “oh, that’s not right.” And, “Oh, no, that’s over here.”

That was when I realized it might be kind of weird, especially cause I was really wired on a project and going all over the place.

But I do it whispers, almost. Does anyone else do that?

I’ve been prospecting on and off for the past 2 years but lately I’ve been way more dedicated and interested in learning more.

Right now, I have a couple cheap pans and a sluice box from Amazon, and a metal detector (that can differentiate with tone if needed). I haven’t used the sluice box too much.

I could google these questions but I thought I’d try to get a bunch of answers if I could. I’ve done some research on my area and other states nearby. I’m in Southern AZ and don’t mind a drive. Thank you in advanced.

- When prospecting, do you find an “ideal” (almost random) spot and just pan? Or do you scan the area with a metal detector first?

- When researching a spot to pan, what are similar landforms I can look for almost anywhere that would indicate the potential for gold?

- When prospecting in areas with other prospectors, are there unspoken rules I should abide by to avoid stepping on toes?

- What are some areas you’d suggest from here to San Diego that I could go look at? I’m going on a weekend trip towards the beach to metal detect and thought about hitting up some historic spots.

Edit to add that I haven’t really found anything meaningful yet. I’ve explored Arivaca and parts of the Dos Cabezas mountains but not too much. I get afraid of going alone so I’m hoping in finding places with more prospectors I can talk to more people who like exploring like I do.

I’ve also bought a couple bags of paydirt off amazon just so I can watch how the gold behaves. I’m well aware after digging around the past couple months that it’s a LOT harder to find than that.

Thank you 🙏🏻

Idk if they are on Reddit so I’m just gonna be short with details. I (27f) have been friends with ‘Derek’ (29m) and Jess (28m) since we were teens. I met Derek in high school, we only went to school together for one year, and we dated for like two weeks when we’re 14-15 and decided we were way more like siblings.

He was always really close with me and my folks so much so that I’d tell people he was my brother. He met Jess a couple years later though, and they got married last year.

There’s been a couple awkward instances between the three of us regarding me and Derek dating, but overall, Jess became one of my best friends. She’s my sister, too. I actually talk to her almost every day and Derek maybe a couple times a year.

Anyway. I moved out of town about 7 years ago so haven’t been able to see them unless I visit. I’m visiting this week and Jess and I made plans to go to dinner.

We were at dinner, catching up, and out of nowhere Derek appears. I can’t remember what he said, probably called me a b— (we are just like that lol) and told me I was fake or something. I was surprised.

Jess was just as surprised as I was. Almost seemed a little put off by it. He sat at the table and I asked if he had her location and they said yes. Fair enough, they’re married.

But Derek tried to ask about my mom and my folks and Jess interrupted and said “you already missed all the catching up. Oh, but OP can speak for herself.”

I said a bit to Derek about what we’d been speaking about. The conversation flowed better after and Derek said we could go get drinks at a bar nearby.

We decided to meet up at their place which was close, then carpool.

I sat in the back. At first everything seemed fine, we were talking about media and stuff we like. Then they began to kind of bicker. Jess was saying Derek never likes to read the books or watch the shows she does and Derek is saying he doesn’t have time because of work.

It was awkward. Then Jess began to touch Derek on the hand and he snapped “IM DRIVING”. We all got quiet for a bit. I’d never heard them act like that with each other. It felt like watching my parents fight.

Things got normal again. I thought about snapping at Derek at that moment. It made me mad that he spoke to her like that but I didn’t know what to say.

We got to the bar and we began to have fun again. Normalcy was settling in. Then we began to play pool and Jess called him a cheater. But she mentioned it like three times and really put an emphasis on it.

Derek had also brought us to a dive bar he’d apparently been at before and Jess was shocked to hear it. She started asking a bunch of questions and when we got inside she said she didn’t want him going to dive bars without letting her know.

It felt awkward. I assumed they felt comfortable enough to bicker like that in front of me but I didn’t know what to make of it.

At the end of the night, I’d asked Jess about travel plans she was making cause I was going to join her and apparently her husband never bought the ticket nor did he even know what days she was leaving.

I left without saying a thing while they argued on.

I’m seeing Jess tomorrow before I go back home from my trip. I don’t know if I should ask her about it, or if it would make me seem like I’m prying for information.

As I’ve said, there’s been awkward moments between us. I took Derek to prom before they started dating literally only because I didn’t have another date and I wanted him to meet my friends from my new school. It was fun and he went home and I hung out with my friends after.

I brought it up once though and I heard Derek asking Jess later if it bothered her that I mentioned it. She said it didn’t. It had been well over six years since. Derek and I never so much as held hands.

Do I ask? Or do I leave it alone?

I hope this is allowed here. Didn’t know what flair to put. I recently saw an article about Erling Haaland (World Cup soccer player) taking back a goofy taxidermy raccoon to Norway from the U.S.

I was wondering if taxidermy is as prominent in other countries as it is here. I know fur clothing is common in the north, but is mounting popular?

Do y’all put the animal in goofy situations like a mouse dressed as a cop?

Share with the class

Humans were made to adapt like any other creature. We’ve done it since the beginning of time. Except now, we have technology to shield us from things that make our bodies uncomfortable.

Like heat. And cold. And the sun. Which are also things we will need to face when we are out of the AC. When we are away from our fans and the shade of our homes.

When we are in pain, we take medication to mask whatever is going on. To mask underlying issues that need to be dealt with.

It’s like duct taping your side mirror on your car. It doesn’t fix the issue, only prolongs having to deal with it eventually.

We are more prone to cancer now because our bodies can’t keep up with the changing our atmosphere. We aren’t exposed to it anymore.

When we run out of resources to sustain ourselves, water, electricity, medicine, how will we face the elements? Any and all “solutions” by big corporate entities just drain said resources further.

What do we do?

How we doing this year? I feel like the ones around me are only going for my elbows for some reason.

I went to a private school for freshman year so I don’t know if this is different from public or other experiences. I remembered them telling us they were gonna show us how to make meth step by step and we were thrilled lol.

They brought in some officers who showed us the ingredients, the steps, but also photos of what could happen if it goes really, really wrong. That was what stuck with me most. I don’t even remember the process a little bit but I could describe the images after a meth lab explosion.

So I guess it worked.

Just something I noticed. When I’m on my meds I’m so hyper focused on finishing tasks but when my brain turns off I’m focused on writing jokes in my head.

I’m not kidding. I don’t know why. Sometimes when I don’t take my meds I write standup. I’d probably never do standup in my life.

I also just love making people laugh. I don’t know why that part of me turns off when I’m on my meds.

Edit to add I’m on Vyvanse in case anyone can relate.

Edit#2: I may be having a talk with my doc about lowering the dose a bit next appointment after reading some comments. I never posted here before and no one’s ever spoken to me about their experiences on meds because I don’t ask enough questions. So thanks for the input 🙏🏻

I’ve (27f) been friends with ‘Mandy’ (30’s f) for about six years now.

I could go back into our history but it’s a long story. I do love and trust her as a friend so this was weird to me.

I’m single and she’s been trying to hook me up with her friend (early 50’s) for a while now. She knows I’ve had a rough history with ex’s in the past, and I just got out of an abusive relationship.

When she brought up the idea, I told her I wasn’t necessarily “closed minded” to dating someone older but it’ll take me some time. I have my life set for me and I wasn’t about to start dating someone because of money or anything. I’m a decent looking girl who takes good care of herself. I don’t need anything from anyone and it would take a lot for me to settle down with someone.

I’ve explained this to her before.

The past few months, she’s called me a couple times and said she was out and her friend was there if I wanted to go meet him. I’m honestly not interested at this point. I’d tell her I was tired and not up to going out. Usually she’d call when I’d be trying to go to bed on a weekday.

A couple days ago she invited me out to a show as she’s been getting more into music and started a new band. I didn’t give her a straightforward response as I wasn’t sure if I’d be busy that day.

That day came up and I had gotten no sleep the night before. I was anxious about work but she reminded me and I texted her back and told her I wasn’t sure cause I didn’t get a lot of rest.

She said there was “6hrs till the show so that was plenty of time to rest.” Okay. I couldn’t rest still so I just ended up going.

The show was at a bar. I get there and say hi to some folks I know from our friend group. We’re having fun and then I go to the bar and her husband introduces me to their friend “Sam” (50’s m). I politely say hi, then go outside to patio.

My friends husband PHYSICALLY grabs a chair and says to his friend “here, sit next to op.” And then LEAVES US ALONE THE ENTIRE NIGHT.

It was so awkward. We tried making small talk. After a couple drinks he gets more chatty and I just wanted to go and listen to my friend play and leave.

Eventually he leaves me alone and towards the end, catches me on my way out. He starts asking personal questions about a place I was planning on moving to and only my friend would’ve known those things.

It was so awkward . Then he asked for my number. I give it to him to get him to leave me alone and I go home for the evening.

The whole thing felt very forced. While we might’ve been on the same wavelength lifestyle wise, he wasn’t my type at all. Not to be unkind, he just wasn’t someone my age would usually go for in terms of appearances. It was obvious.

We also had nothing in common. I’ve been through a lot in my life and culturally and he had no understanding of that at all. My friend also knows the extent of what I’ve been through.

I left that night feeling a little icky, but also guilty for feeling icky? Idk. Am I overreacting for feeling upset about this?

If I knew he was going to be there I wouldn’t have been interested in meeting him. I was only going to see my friend play and hang out with the people we knew.

Edit to add it may have been more of her husband who left us alone/encouraged this but she had been discussing it with me primarily so I assumed she had something to do with it

I’m not going to beat around the bush now. I thought you were so ugly when we met. The furthest thing from my type.

It took just a two hour coffee date to change my mind and suddenly I couldn’t stop thinking about you.

You had to go and have a good soul. And be so kind. You had to go and be peaceful and everything I’d been missing out on.

You had to just go and not hurt me when you left. You had to do it in the kindest way possible because that’s who you are.

You couldn’t just make me hate you? You couldn’t cheat? You couldn’t lie? It would’ve been so easy to just leave me alone afterwards. But you left that fucking letter…

And I held on to it all these years, hoping you’d come and open up to me like that again.

But you just linger. The thought of dating you again scares me, but seeing you grow old with someone else would devastate me. Then again the idea of being the one to have to watch you age and losing you to death sounds like the most painful way to lose you.

I wish you’d leave. I wish you’d block me one day. I wish you’d stop reaching out and I wish I never knew you as well as I do. I wish you’d stop responding to me, too.

You just come and go. I see you once a year and between those months I wait for you to change and come back home. I wait patiently, and whenever you do come around I bite my tongue.

Because I love you. And I know you love me, too. Even if you don’t show it.

Sometimes I wish the apocalypse would come so we could have a chance to start all over again in a new world. With no distractions. You’re the only person I would run to in that case, even after all this time.

I love you. I love you so much.

It sounds weird. The best way I can put it is getting hurt while being active feels like less of a chore. Or almost fun in a way?

I don’t put myself at risk to get hurt, but I do a lot of physical activity to try and mitigate the chronic pain I’ve been facing and some of that is doing glass work.

Today I got cut so bad on a shard of glass that it reached my knuckle bone and I didn’t even flinch. I dealt with it and it felt like a rush if anything. It was so easy to brush off I felt almost powerful.

I don’t feel that way when the nerves in my legs feel like they’re on fire. That pain is so burdensome. It wastes my energy when I could be getting hurt doing something fun.

Does anyone else feel this way?

The first thing I notice on a guy is his smile lines and the crows feet around his eyes. I absolutely hate meeting men on apps because you cant really see those things in photos.

I just love signs that someone’s really lived their life, you know?

Birthmarks, scars, acne, chipped tooth, grey hair, stretch marks, rolls when someone sits down, I don’t think I’ve met someone who didn’t smell great to me no matter where they’ve been.

I used to be a makeup artist and I’d get a lot of clients who were more mature than me and when they’d tell me things like “don’t get old” it made me sad cause you can tell they’ve laughed a lot in their life.

It’s been a blessing to watch my longtime friends get older and change. Humans are awesome just the way we are.