u/sharkray_

I try not to get upset by this, but often when talking about my battle with chronic TE to folks who haven't experienced hair loss, I am met with sometimes LITERAL laughter, and "but your hair is so pretty!" Ok... thanks I didn't say I had ugly hair 😭 I know it looks fuller than it is because I have curly hair privilege. I don't have AGA. I know it looks "good" because I spend $$$ money on products and supplements and prescriptions and hours making it look its best, don't bleach, no heat. All the short hairs all over my scalp help give the illusion of volume, but I cannot keep length. I cannot grow past my shoulders or it starts to look like a mullet. It HURTS to put in a pony tail (and tbh looks terrible) because it's pulling and tugging on all those short hairs. Even my dermatologist was hesitant to prescribe Spiro until I said "ok, observe" and took my hair out of a clip and ran my fingers through my hair so he could watch strands start flying all over the place 😭 I have developed an obsessive need to get all of the loose hairs off of my head. I don't "pull" on them but a 5 minute session of running my fingers through my hair while sitting in the couch gives me a lovely thick hair ball... no one believes me until I show them my scalp. I know it looks better than so many people that are dealing with much more severe loss. That doesn't mean I'm not experiencing it though.

It's about 102 degrees rn, so really not bad compared to how hot it will get the next two months. I live in Palm Desert, CA. I've seen crows here panting when it gets hot, but never had the privilege of observing hawk behavior until these 3 (don't know where their sibling is) were born in these trees last season. I've never seen one loafing before... really hoping it's not injured and simply spreading its wings to cool off. If we got a bird bath, would hawks take advantage? I feel so bad for the birds here during summer :(

We (fiance and I) are renters in Palm Desert. We rent a 1300 sqft condo that is an interior unit (so you would think well insulated).

Last summer was our first summer renting this place and by June our bill was around $500. That freaked us out and we were keeping it at 78 so we turned it up to 84... by July and August we were paying $700-800. We don't have kids, it's just us.

In August 2025 I reached out to SCE and they said the meter was fine and would not send someone out and were not concerned... So I reached out to our landlord and she was appalled at the bill as well, agreed something wasn't right, and sent someone out to check on things. He physically bent the registers (vents) open to allow more airflow, checked the fins on our condenser outside, check a few more things and said all was good and that we are just fucked because the HVAC system is old.

I don't buy this at all. Our neighbor on the end unit lives in a much larger unit with a GLASS ATRIUM inside and keeps her place at 76 during the day all summer. Her bill is never more than $300/400 in the summer. Several similar unit (all non solar) owners I have talked to in the complex have been floored when I tell them our electric bill and tell me theirs is no more than $200/300. Something is clearly wrong and I just want to know if anyone else in the valley has experienced a similar situation? Any insight welcome.

I don't know what else to do. Sweating inside in the summer while SCE bleeds us dry.