u/randomusicjunkie

After endless reading on portfolio allocation, stock picking, and market timing, I settled on a straightforward monthly strategy is 70% VWCE (Vanguard FTSE All-World ) and 30% government securities (Treasury bills)

That is my entire strategy. I execute this split every month, step back, and let it run.

Part of me feels like I am missing something because of how uncomplicated it is.

Are there hidden blind spots I should prepare for down the road?

I’m 30, and I never learned much about managing personal finances.

Right now, I just have my savings sitting in a standard bank account taking a hit from inflation.

I want to change that and build solid habits for long-term financial health.

For those of you in the EU who started later in life, what are the best things you've implemented that made the biggest difference?

This is just an example, but Apache Spark expertise used to be a real differentiator 10 years ago or so. If you knew it well, you were swimming in job offers.

Then Databricks simplified it and made Spark silly-proof with built-in optimizations left and right. Now the exact same thing is happening to Databricks consultants and FTEs because Databricks know-how just isn't as premium as before anymore as they simplified the platform and genie-d the S out of it.

Abstraction eventually seems to eat all expertise and each cycle seems shorter than the last.

Is there anything left in the data and platform layer with real depth behind it?

And I'm not looking for "just learn AI, bro.

I am a professional athlete scheduled for a Botox treatment in September. How soon after the procedure can I return to intense training?

Did 50 units of Botox fix it for you? I've seen a lot of people on this sub complaining about 50 units. I will be doing the procedure in London with Lucy.

Every night when I lie down on my back, I get these intense "sleep shocks" right as I'm drifting off. It feels like a jolt of lightning that wakes me up with a sudden wave of nausea but disappears in a second.

I’m pretty sure it’s not a hypnic jerk. Because of my emetophobia, I think the feeling of trapped air or gas moving around triggers a shock/panic reaction that mimics a sleep jerk or apnea episode.

Does anyone else experience something similar where trapped gas or air causes these weird sleep-start sensations?

Hi,
I went out for some drinks with friends and ordered one non-carbonated cocktail, which I drank through a straw. Around 40 minutes later, I felt incredibly dizzy.

I couldn't understand it because I tolerate alcohol well, and I thought, "Did I get drunk???" I

went for a walk, and the walk made it 100x worse. I was a little disoriented, and then I had a panic attack, constantly feeling the air traveling back and forth, but nothing was coming out.

I had to sit down on the street for about 20 minutes, and after that, I was completely fine.

Has this ever happened to you?

for reference; the Mendelsohn maneuver is a swallowing therapy technique used to improve throat muscle function, prolong upper esophageal sphincter opening, and protect the airway.

I'm doing shaker exercises, but this looks promising as well. Has any of you tried this?

Hi everyone! I’m finally ready to commit to getting Botox for my R-CPD, and I’m looking for recommendations for experienced specialists anywhere in Europe.

Since this is my first time, safety and a high success rate are my top priorities. I want to see an ENT or laryngologist who has performed a high volume of cricopharyngeus injections and knows R-CPD well.

Where did you get yours done, and who was your specialist? I'd love to hear about your experience, wait times, and whether you had it done in-office or under general anesthesia!

Hey everyone, I'm looking for some perspective on my current relationship dynamic and finances.

My girlfriend has high expectations when it comes to our lifestyle, she loves traveling, going out, dining at restaurants, and expects high-end gifts for bithdays/xmas.

I make 14,000 USD/month, she makes 2500 USD/month, I cover 100% of the groceries, 80% of the rent, 100% of the utilities, 100% of the eating out, and 90% of the travels.

In addition, I do slightly less housework, but it's almost equal.

I also feel like I'm supporting her 24/7 with her goals, mental health, solve all her problems and everything.

Yet I feel like the scale/balance in our relationship is so skewed it started to eat me alive inside.

How do you deal with this or am I stupid for supporting her lifestyle? I love her, but I just feel like it's imbalanced.

Hi guys, I know I know I am desperate enough, so I asked my Claude (Max) to help me relearn to burp and wanted to share it with you. I’ll start this tmr and will report back!

Sharing what it said, I think it sounds good. Might be of interest!

Claude:

The core principle. A burp is a reflex; you’re forcing it into a voluntary skill. Everything below serves one of two levers: (1) maximize the trigger — esophageal gas pressure high enough to demand release — and (2) defeat the block — consciously open/relax the cricopharyngeus instead of letting it stay clamped. Most people fail because they push hard on lever 1 while straining the throat, which clamps the sphincter tighter. The skill is high pressure + a relaxed, open throat at the same time. People who relearn it describe practicing every single day until it clicks  — consistency is the biggest variable.

Lever 1 — build maximum gas pressure:

• Chug a full carbonated drink fast — the more CO₂ and the faster, the better. Drinking it quickly through a straw raises the pressure even more.  Beer is a common community trigger because it stacks CO₂ with mild throat relaxation.
• Stack it: swallow deliberate gulps of air on top of the carbonation to over-inflate the esophagus.
• Go when you already feel the gurgle/pressure — don’t wait for it to settle. Your best window is when pressure is highest, the first 1–2 minutes after chugging.
• A gentle diaphragm push (light bear-down) to drive gas upward — but keep the throat slack, not braced. This is the hard part to coordinate.

Lever 2 — open the block (the actual skill):

• The release feels like the start of a yawn or the throat position for gargling — soft palate up, throat wide open, zero tension. Practice finding that “open throat” sensation on its own, dry, so you can deploy it on command when the gas is loaded.
• Make a low, sustained groan or “ehhhh”/croak while the pressure is built. The vibration often flutters the sphincter open — the first successes almost always come during a vocalization, not silent effort.
• When you feel any flutter, gurgle, or hint of movement at the base of the throat, let it rise, don’t swallow it back down. The instinct to re-swallow is what you’re unlearning.

Position rotation (cycle through these — different people open on different ones):

• On your back, upper back/shoulders elevated on pillows, neck extended.
• Head hanging back off the edge of a bed, chin up.
• Chin tucked hard to chest (opposite extreme — try both).
• Lying on your side, knees up.
• A cobra/back-arch on your stomach, then curling knees to chest — compresses the abdomen and shoves gas up.
• Standing, then a torso twist side to side, or quickly lying down and sitting up.

The program — push it like a training block:

• 3–5 dedicated sessions a day, 10–15 min each, ideally on a near-empty stomach so reflux is minimal.
• Each session = chug → immediately run 2–3 positions → in each, build pressure + open throat + groan → repeat.
• Milestones, in order: (1) a tiny “micro-burp” or squeak — that’s the win, it proves the path is open; (2) larger involuntary burps; (3) reproducing it without the full position; (4) on-demand. Once you get one micro-burp, the rest usually comes within days because your brain now has the motor map.
• Realistic timeline: anywhere from a few days to 6–8 weeks of daily work. If you’ve had a genuine micro-burp, keep going — you’ve essentially won.

Force multipliers: do it after light exercise (a walk/jog mobilizes the gas); warm carbonated or warm drinks for some; capture the moment you’re lying down and the gurgles start spontaneously — that’s the sphincter already half-trying, so consciously open and let it out then.

Failure modes to fix: straining/bracing the neck (clamps it shut — relax instead); waiting too long after the drink (pressure dissipates); silent effort (use the groan); re-swallowing the flutter; giving up before a single micro-burp (that first one is the whole game).

One caution: in R-CPD some attempts produce regurgitation rather than a clean burp, especially on a full stomach — keep the stomach light, and if you get unusual or severe chest pain (vs. normal pressure), stop.

The instant you feel/hear a gurgle — that’s the rep:

•	Don’t freeze and wait it out. That passivity is the exact habit to kill. Move immediately.  
•	Open the throat wide — start-of-a-yawn / about-to-gargle posture, soft palate up, zero neck tension.  
•	Groan a low “ehhh” through it — the vibration helps flutter the sphincter open right where the gas already is. First burps almost always come during a vocalization, not silent effort.  
•	Let it rise; do not re-swallow. The pull-it-back-down reflex is what you’re unlearning.  
•	Stack a position fast: tip your head back (chin up), or hang it slightly off a couch edge, to give the bubble a straight shot up.

It’s the first time the alarm doesn’t go off.

Anyone had this before?