en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/12476986 Comments by ladybirdjenkins http://crasstalk.com/2015/12/new-years-eve-open-thread-4/#IDComment1008369933 Thanks, Cosmie! My doctor reminded me that it'll take time to get to a good place mentally and to not beat myself up too much when I feel my anxiety overwhelming me. Mr. LBJ struggled with being supportive but he's come around. He didn't understand that being unemployed isn't just about not working. It's accepting that things are beyond your control and being able to handle rejection for weeks or months at a time. I wouldn't wish it on anyone. Thu, 31 Dec 2015 23:22:10 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/12/new-years-eve-open-thread-4/#IDComment1008369933 http://crasstalk.com/2015/12/new-years-eve-open-thread-4/#IDComment1008365973 So I ended up in an anxiety induced spiral about my job hunt. I found myself in my doctor's office in tears because I felt like I was trapped inside my own mind. Luckily my doctor is super compassionate and we had a really good talk. She recommended an antidepressant and taking a break to focus on getting healthy. I'm still on the hunt for a full time job but I have picked up some contract work in the interim. Dealing with the unemployment office has been one giant pain in the ass but I'm grateful for the money, meager as it is. I'm feeling somewhat better but I still struggle to keep the anxiety at bay. When those moments hit, I break out my journal and write down everything running through my mind. And the year hasn't been all bad. In about 3 1/2 months, I'll be jumping the broom with Mr. LBJ. *preens* Thu, 31 Dec 2015 21:53:13 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/12/new-years-eve-open-thread-4/#IDComment1008365973 http://crasstalk.com/2015/12/new-years-eve-open-thread-4/#IDComment1008365620 Happy New Years Eve, everyone! Update in the reply. :) Thu, 31 Dec 2015 21:45:05 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/12/new-years-eve-open-thread-4/#IDComment1008365620 http://crasstalk.com/2015/09/long-holiday-weekend-open-thread/#IDComment993606786 I started washing dishes as soon as I could reach the sink comfortably. I was also responsible for: -cleaning my room and bathroom each day -getting myself up and ready for school -washing my own clothes once I turned 12 -helping out with the weekly cleaning on Saturday mornings -making trips to the corner grocery store to pick up a random item No yard work, as I mostly grew up in apartments. Mr. LBJ is an only child and was required to help his dad with certain chores but for the most part his mom did all the cooking and cleaning. This would explain why our standards of cleanliness are vastly different. I think race/ethnicity also plays a part in this. I don't know of any Black friends in my social circle, regardless of socioeconomic status, that didn't have chores of some kind. I got to college and was blown away by middle and upper class White kids that had never done their own laundry or cooked a meal. One girl in my suite had never cleaned a bathroom! That led to some very petty fights. Fri, 4 Sep 2015 23:44:40 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/09/long-holiday-weekend-open-thread/#IDComment993606786 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-9/#IDComment992367499 Good morning saints and aint's. Last night I read the various stories about the shootings in Virginia and all I wanted to do was cry. So much promise and hope gone in the blink of an eye. I keep reading that he was able to pass a background check, therefore background checks are useless. Obviously that's bullshit but I do wonder: What do you do when someone has a documented history of irrational/unstable behavior but hasn't necessarily committed a crime? Technically they can have a gun but probably shouldn't. How do you balance the right to individual privacy with the need to keep the general public safe? What would the benchmark for irrational behavior and who would decide that? So many questions that I don't have the answer to. I'm gonna go hug my pup now. Thu, 27 Aug 2015 14:27:00 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-9/#IDComment992367499 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-9/#IDComment992365787 While I know this is true, it still breaks my heart to read it. Thu, 27 Aug 2015 14:10:38 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-9/#IDComment992365787 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/weekend-party-thread/#IDComment991521407 Overly optimistic people grate on me. People who say "Well, look at the bright side" grate on me. In my experience, these are people who haven't had a single hard day in their life. Things have always worked out the way they planned and they don't understand why you're so "negative." I know that while I'm looking for a job, I'm lucky that I'm not worried about a place to live or where my next meal is coming from. I know I'm doing better than most people. But looking at the bright side doesn't help me when I'm incredibly anxious about when is my career going to finally start. Or wondering if I'm doomed to work a string of mediocre jobs for the rest of my life. That living paycheck to paycheck sucks big time and I'm really over it. Sometimes you just want someone to acknowledge your struggle, not minimize it. That fact that you recognize that your mental health can cloud the way look at things tells me that you're not a "negative" person. Rather I think it shows you are in tune with your emotions and where they come from, rather than "negative" being your default setting. I hope your day gets better, CB. Fri, 21 Aug 2015 19:32:47 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/weekend-party-thread/#IDComment991521407 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/thursday-open-thread-171/#IDComment991399875 I remember when MJB's version came out and even then I knew it could never hold a candle to the original. Thu, 20 Aug 2015 21:41:55 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/thursday-open-thread-171/#IDComment991399875 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/thursday-open-thread-171/#IDComment991387554 So I finally watched the video for that Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor song "Marvin Gaye." Bruh. The lyrics, to me, are actually not that bad. What I hate is the complete lack of soul and the really not so subtle way they are attempting to channel Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Listening to Marvin and Tammi sing, you could feel the chemistry between them and her voice was so angelic. Charlie Puth and Mehgan Trainor just make me sad. Plus the video sucks. Thu, 20 Aug 2015 19:48:26 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/thursday-open-thread-171/#IDComment991387554 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-8/#IDComment991266487 😍 Thu, 20 Aug 2015 01:55:37 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-8/#IDComment991266487 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-8/#IDComment991254933 I feel like dinner is such a struggle in the summer. It's too hot to cook but I'm running out of take out options. #FirstWorldProblems Wed, 19 Aug 2015 23:38:57 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-8/#IDComment991254933 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-8/#IDComment991254399 We are in a fight. 😉 Wed, 19 Aug 2015 23:31:44 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-8/#IDComment991254399 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-8/#IDComment991254386 Michael Fassbender over writing one more damn cover letter any day! Wed, 19 Aug 2015 23:31:24 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-8/#IDComment991254386 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-8/#IDComment991232986 Best of luck to you too! Wed, 19 Aug 2015 20:34:03 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-8/#IDComment991232986 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-8/#IDComment991220718 Looking for a job sucks so hard. Please send good vibes or just deliver Michael Fassbender to my front door. Thank you. Wed, 19 Aug 2015 20:06:06 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/midweek-open-thread-8/#IDComment991220718 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/tuesday-open-thread-177/#IDComment988906220 I can't even imagine it being that hot! I definitely won't complain about it being over 100 this week. Tue, 4 Aug 2015 19:25:19 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/tuesday-open-thread-177/#IDComment988906220 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/tuesday-open-thread-177/#IDComment988905405 Just jumping in to say I agree with your statement about Whole Foods as a dog whistle. Our neighborhood used to have a regular grocery store. When the store closed guess who moved in? This happened right around the time our area became the place for the upper middle class who wanted to be close to the city but still live in a largely White neighborhood. WF has been great for those nights I don't want to cook but sometimes I wish there was a grocery store the rest of us could afford. Tue, 4 Aug 2015 19:19:09 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/08/tuesday-open-thread-177/#IDComment988905405 http://crasstalk.com/2015/07/weekend-open-thread-36/#IDComment988419262 DontMakeMe's post reminded why I hate the term Millennial so much. Apparently a Millennial is someone born between 1980 and 2000. But I feel like the focus of most articles tends to be on White, middle class to upper middle class people born during that time period. I would love to see a study on Millennials that broke the group down by race and socioeconomic status. Sat, 1 Aug 2015 18:02:02 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/07/weekend-open-thread-36/#IDComment988419262 http://crasstalk.com/2015/07/weekend-open-thread-36/#IDComment988417539 You did the right thing. That line about labels made my eye twitch. It would have taken every ounce of strength not to smack him. Sat, 1 Aug 2015 17:43:14 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/07/weekend-open-thread-36/#IDComment988417539 http://crasstalk.com/2015/07/qotd-taco-vs-hamburger/#IDComment987704578 This is making me salivate... Tue, 28 Jul 2015 21:07:04 +0000 http://crasstalk.com/2015/07/qotd-taco-vs-hamburger/#IDComment987704578