EsteeBestee's recent activity
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Comment on After quitting antidepressants, some people suffer surprising, lingering symptoms in ~health.mental
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Comment on After quitting antidepressants, some people suffer surprising, lingering symptoms in ~health.mental
EsteeBestee LinkAs someone who just started cymbalta this week, this isn't the most comforting read. That said, I'm hoping that I don't need to be on it long term. I don't have a history of depression or anxiety,...As someone who just started cymbalta this week, this isn't the most comforting read. That said, I'm hoping that I don't need to be on it long term. I don't have a history of depression or anxiety, but my anxiety got absurdly bad over the summer when I was buying a house and it finally caught up to me about a month ago and I've been sick ever since with what I now think to be anxiety or panic attacks. I've been on cymbalta for 5 days now and am starting to feel like myself again, but I'm very much not interested in losing my feelings or anything like that long term, so I'm hoping that using this for a few months gets me back on track and then I can taper off (I'm on a very low dose right now).
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Comment on What game is your personal "Silksong"? in ~games
EsteeBestee LinkIt was definitely Elden Ring for me. I’ve been a die hard Souls fan since Dark Souls completely captured me in 2011. It was a loooong three year wait between the first teaser for Elden Ring and...It was definitely Elden Ring for me. I’ve been a die hard Souls fan since Dark Souls completely captured me in 2011. It was a loooong three year wait between the first teaser for Elden Ring and the release, but we all know how good it turned out to be. I was expecting another good souls game and the game we got completely blew me away. I think the most surprising thing, however, was how popular the game was, it seemed that everyone was playing it. Souls games weren’t exactly niche before, but Elden Ring completely blew up.
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Comment on Why are so many pedestrians killed by cars in the US? in ~transport
EsteeBestee LinkThis was an interesting read. I do agree with the article that if the increase in pedestrian fatalities from vehicles had to be boiled down to a single reason that it's likely larger and heavier...This was an interesting read. I do agree with the article that if the increase in pedestrian fatalities from vehicles had to be boiled down to a single reason that it's likely larger and heavier cars (and another commenter here mentioned blind spots), but it's likely a combination of factors. The article did point out that for some car models such as the Civic, fatalities also went up within that model, though I would generalize that most car models have gotten larger, heavier, and more blind-spotty over the period of time they have data for, thus contributing to the SUV theory.
One thing I drew a theory from is the 20 state data that suggested that the issue isn't that more pedestrians are being hit, it's that more are dying and I compared that to the chart showing a VAST increase in the number of drivers who specifically don't report distraction (vs reporting they were not distracted). That increase started around 2016, when tablets started being put in cars and when smart phones really started taking over our lives. One theory I have, considering the increase in fatality rate is mostly in urban areas and not at crosswalks, is that more drivers are distracted now, so when someone walks out into the middle of the road, drivers aren't even attempting to slow down and are striking people at higher speeds, whereas before phones and in-car tablets, they may at least slow down (and be in a smaller vehicle).
I obviously can't say if this is correct or not, but that's a possible conclusion I drew, as I know how shitty people are and they will not report they were texting and driving, or they'll be off to jail. The sharp decline in drivers specifically reporting they weren't distracted and sharp increase in a non-report tells me that either people are lying by omission or that something changed in how that data is reported and collected.
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Comment on What common misunderstanding do you want to clear up? in ~talk
EsteeBestee Link ParentAnd to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with getting a newer and lower miles car if you do need it and can afford it. It just pains me to see people making $700 a month car payments when a cheaper...And to be clear, there’s nothing wrong with getting a newer and lower miles car if you do need it and can afford it. It just pains me to see people making $700 a month car payments when a cheaper and older car can be just as reliable (and sometimes more reliable). The auto industry has put a ton of work into making people think they need a brand new (or near new) car every 3-5 years.
When you start learning to fix your own cars, that’s where the next level of savings comes in. Not including consumables costs (like oil changes and tires) and optional performance upgrades, I usually spend less than $1000 a year on repairs, I haven’t had a car payment in four years, and on the three cars I bought, but also sold since 2020, I broke even on selling them. So the cost of my five cars I’ve owned since 2020 (two of which I still own), I’m paying less per year for them than some people pay over two months for their car payment. It’s pretty rad. Shops are charging damn near $1000 these days for brake pads and rotors and I can do it myself on any of my cars for $100-$300 depending on the car.
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Comment on What common misunderstanding do you want to clear up? in ~talk
EsteeBestee Link ParentSo when looking at older cars, it’s kind of just the usual stuff, still. Listen for any rattles, bumps, or weird noises, feel if the brakes, acceleration, and shifts are smooth, test all the...So when looking at older cars, it’s kind of just the usual stuff, still. Listen for any rattles, bumps, or weird noises, feel if the brakes, acceleration, and shifts are smooth, test all the electronics, check for rust, check underneath to make sure nothing is out of place, check to make sure the wheels and tires are in good condition (both easy to replace, but you might not wanna replace tires the day you buy a car). I don’t particularly like dealers, but buying from reputable ones at least ensures there’s a minimum standard of quality vs a private sale. Always get a carfax either way, unless you really know what you’re looking at and don’t just check it for accident history, but check reported services and repairs, too. Do research on common issues for the car you look at and bring a car friend with you or if you don’t have a car friend, any second set of eyes helps to at least see things you might miss.
I know people have anxiety over buying an older car and it immediately blowing up on them, but you can usually tell if a car has been treated well as long as you give it a good look over with a friend, check the carfax, and make sure it drives smoothly. Yeah, stuff is going to break over time, but that’s true of newer cars too. Sure, if you buy an older car, it’s possible to be facing a $2k repair a few months after buying, but if you saved $8k on the purchase instead of getting something newer, you’re still way ahead.
I just think it’s wise when car shopping to at least consider options 10-20 years old as they can save you a TON of money while being just as reliable. Something like a 2006 Honda CR-V is completely bulletproof and I’d trust an old one over a new one, personally.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
EsteeBestee Link ParentThus far, I haven’t hit any mandatory stealth missions, but Tsushima did have a number of them, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there were at least a few. So far, though, I can tackle encounters...Thus far, I haven’t hit any mandatory stealth missions, but Tsushima did have a number of them, so I wouldn’t be surprised if there were at least a few. So far, though, I can tackle encounters however I want. You could see if any reviewers mention mandatory stealth or something.
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Comment on What's a product or service that you use but don't want to pay for and why? in ~life
EsteeBestee Link ParentIt sounds like you have similar tech habits to me! I cut ties with all streaming except YouTube last year. I did already have some physical media of my favorite movies, but I switched to buying...It sounds like you have similar tech habits to me! I cut ties with all streaming except YouTube last year. I did already have some physical media of my favorite movies, but I switched to buying way more blu ray and dvds (good lord second hand discs are basically free) and I also bought an iPod classic for music and it’s been a much better experience than Spotify. I already did have a massive music library on my NAS, I had just gotten lazy over the last few years and relied on Spotify too much. It’s good to be back to owning all of my media. I do still buy games digitally, though. I’m mostly a PC gamer so that’s just how it be.
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
EsteeBestee LinkI’ve put about 10 hours into Ghost of Yotei so far and it’s fantastic! It generally plays similar to Tsushima, but everything is smoother and more polished, from the moment to moment combat to how...I’ve put about 10 hours into Ghost of Yotei so far and it’s fantastic! It generally plays similar to Tsushima, but everything is smoother and more polished, from the moment to moment combat to how you explore the game world. The story is also pretty emotional right now and Atsu is a fantastic protagonist, I’m loving it!
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (October 2025) in ~health.mental
EsteeBestee Link ParentThank you. I was prescribed sumatriptan a couple of weeks ago when this started to help with the migraine portion of this (I also do get recurring migraines in general). I was afraid to take it at...Thank you. I was prescribed sumatriptan a couple of weeks ago when this started to help with the migraine portion of this (I also do get recurring migraines in general). I was afraid to take it at first due to the possible side effects if you have cardiovascular issues and I didn't yet know if I was dealing with a cardiovascular issue, but I got to the point where I was so miserable this week that I just popped one last night. It absolutely nuked my migraine so I've at least been more comfortable today. I am not back to normal and still have some issues, but I also did intake at a chiropractor this week and they noticed I have some significant issues that they're going to start correcting on Monday and could be causing at least some of my symptoms. I'm not going to get my hopes up that I'll be instantly cured or cured at all, but it sure won't hurt at this point. I was doing a lot of weightlifting this year, so it wouldn't surprise me if I botched a lift at some point and put my neck out of whack and didn't realize it was the cause of some symptoms (or maybe hurt myself while moving a couple weeks before this started idk).
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Comment on What common misunderstanding do you want to clear up? in ~talk
EsteeBestee Link ParentThe used car market was absolutely fucked for a few years post covid (I went from upside down on my GTI to being able to make $2k after selling it and paying my loan, lol). It’s been recovering in...The used car market was absolutely fucked for a few years post covid (I went from upside down on my GTI to being able to make $2k after selling it and paying my loan, lol). It’s been recovering in my area for about a year now, so it could be slightly area dependent? I bought my dad a 2012 outback in pristine condition for $9k this year. Sometimes you also just need to be hawking the market for a few weeks until “the deal” pops up, since good ones like that get scooped up quickly.
I do somewhat agree on new vs slightly used, where some cars are appreciating or at least not dropping value as fast, but I’m still a firm believer of grabbing under $10k cars in good condition. Most people are vastly overpaying on their car payments for what they actually need based on vibes. Most people I know that claim they “need” a 2023 car will have the same experience in a 2012 if they just get an aftermarket touch screen or something and they’ll halve their car payments.
I’m also an absolute shitbox merchant, though. Most of my cars I buy for under $4000 lol, though I don’t recommend the average person go that low unless out of necessity.
Your point about driving your car until it dies is the real play. Too many people upgrade their cars too often when they really don’t “need” to and it’s, IMO, just a waste, but it’s their money and not mine, so whatever.
Mostly, my first comment started about how I hate that people pretend a 2005 car is basically a worthless pile of junk and it kind of morphed into people wasting money.
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Comment on What common misunderstanding do you want to clear up? in ~talk
EsteeBestee LinkThere are a ton of misconceptions that non car people have about cars, but probably the most ridiculous ones are around how many miles a car has and the model year of the car. So many people in my...There are a ton of misconceptions that non car people have about cars, but probably the most ridiculous ones are around how many miles a car has and the model year of the car. So many people in my life when in need of a new car will completely dismiss anything older than 5 years or with more than 100,000 miles. People willingly take on $700 a month auto loans when you can find something like a 2012 outback in pristine condition with 150k miles for under $10,000 and it will run like a top.
Yes, older and high mileage cars will need service, but so do newer cars, and newer cars are more expensive to service. A well taken care of Outback or CR-V is going to be in the shop no more frequently than a 2018 car and it will be cheaper to fix. On top of that, you are saving hundreds of dollars a month on a car payment. Most people are wasting tons of money per year on newer cars due to a fear of how unreliable a cheaper car might be, people just don’t do the long term math and let themselves get robbed because they “need” low miles or apple car play (which can easily be put in any car…).
My advice when buying a car is specifically to look for older models with moderate miles that seem well taken care of and just have a car friend help you look it over. I’d trust a 2005 Honda CR-V with 200k miles more than I’d trust most modern cars.
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Comment on What common misunderstanding do you want to clear up? in ~talk
EsteeBestee Link ParentWhen I fly helicopters in DCS, I think I die more to the cursed vortex than to enemies shooting me down…When I fly helicopters in DCS, I think I die more to the cursed vortex than to enemies shooting me down…
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Comment on What common misunderstanding do you want to clear up? in ~talk
EsteeBestee Link ParentI didn’t know about the anesthetics experiment, but I always assume plants and animals at the very least prefer to not be fucked with, so I try to treat all living things kindly. I’m still...I didn’t know about the anesthetics experiment, but I always assume plants and animals at the very least prefer to not be fucked with, so I try to treat all living things kindly. I’m still extremely bothered with how people boil crustaceans alive, for example, I could just never do that.
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Comment on What common misunderstanding do you want to clear up? in ~talk
EsteeBestee Link ParentI work in SaaS, though not games, and the way people talk about software, especially games, is infuriating. I’m a long time Destiny 2 player and the way the average user talks about “the devs” on...I work in SaaS, though not games, and the way people talk about software, especially games, is infuriating. I’m a long time Destiny 2 player and the way the average user talks about “the devs” on /r/DestinyTheGame shows you they think everyone that works there is in on some nefarious plot to addict gamers and then ship suboptimal or buggy products on purpose for reasons. The average person simply has no clue how hard it is to make software on any level and how many moving pieces there are at larger companies. There are a million reasons software works poorly (whether that’s from bugs or design flaws), but people are so quick to assume that “the devs” can just tell the computer what you want in plain English and it spits out perfect code that will never break.
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Comment on Hi, how are you? Mental health support and discussion thread (October 2025) in ~health.mental
EsteeBestee LinkI’ve been dealing with medical issues for about a month now and I’ve been miserable. In early September I went to urgent care with a suspected infection. They didn’t find anything and referred me...I’ve been dealing with medical issues for about a month now and I’ve been miserable. In early September I went to urgent care with a suspected infection. They didn’t find anything and referred me to the hospital so they could make sure I wasn’t having a major health issue. I seemed to check out, but then had several health episodes that sent me back to the hospital two more times (and again, all my vitals were fine). Within the last week, my symptoms have lessened, but I’ve had pretty constant lightheadedness for 3 weeks now and my quality of life is poor, I haven’t been able to do much more than get groceries or take a walk down the block and back. I was getting multiple migraines (different from my usual ones), heart palpitations, and random pains kind of everywhere (though none are long lasting).
I’ve seen my Dr multiple times in addition to the hospital trips and we’re still not sure what it is. I’ve had a brain MRI, Lyme disease antibody tests (my symptoms line up with it partially, but I was negative), I’m currently wearing a heart monitor for another week, and I’m getting a heart ultrasound. We don’t think it’s heart issues, but we’re kind of trying to test a bunch of stuff as I’m still sick a month later.
It’s possible I have a disease rather than a condition, but I haven’t had a fever, been stuffed up, or anything like that all month and all my blood work has thus far checked out (I had even more blood tests done this morning I’m still waiting for results on). We are doing some testing for auto-immune stuff, iron levels, and electrolytes to see if it’s that. I did also lose 15lbs in the first 3 weeks of whatever this is, but have held my weight since then. We also did a thyroid cascade and nothing funny was found.
I’ve been trying to educate myself on a bunch of different health issues so that I can accurately describe to my doctors what I’m feeling. I’m trying to not self diagnose and as far as I know, there wasn’t anything specific that prompted all of this. The only thing close is that I bonked my head on the fridge door a week before this started, I was wondering if I had post concussion syndrome, though my doctor was doubtful as I haven’t had cognitive issues and while that bonk hurt, I was seemingly fine after a few minutes. As far as I was reading, there isn’t really treatment for that anyways if that is what happened.
At this point I just want to go back to normal. We’re trying various medications to see what helps with symptoms (trying duloxetine next as I do have at least some level of anxiety which could be making this worse).
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
EsteeBestee Link ParentI love pinball and that game looks super interesting! Thanks for the recommendation. That fanatical bundle seems like a great deal and maybe Chernobylite can scratch the itch I’ve had while...I love pinball and that game looks super interesting! Thanks for the recommendation. That fanatical bundle seems like a great deal and maybe Chernobylite can scratch the itch I’ve had while waiting for Stalker 2 to be in a better place. I’ll think about picking some games up…
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Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games
EsteeBestee LinkLike others, I've been playing Hades II. I managed to hold off on playing during early access and only picked it up when it hit 1.0. I haven't played Hades 1 since 2021, so this is pretty fresh...Like others, I've been playing Hades II. I managed to hold off on playing during early access and only picked it up when it hit 1.0. I haven't played Hades 1 since 2021, so this is pretty fresh for me right now. God I missed this series. This game has all the charm of the first one, but the gameplay and storytelling has leveled up so far. I'm only four hours in (and have died repeatedly to the second boss, who's design is PHENOMENAL), but this is a special game already. Everybody who likes action games, roguelikes, or greek mythology should be playing this right now.
The other game I've been putting a lot of time into is Tokyo Xtreme Racer since that also hit 1.0 last week. I did play 5 hours of this one in early access, but played another 6 since Thursday now that the rough edges are rounded out a bit. Honda is finally in the game, so I'm very happy. Some other brands like Lexus were added and most of the existing brands got a number of new cars added, so the roster feels pretty complete now. I souped up an S2000 and also just beat the second chapter, so I now also have a GC8 impreza to match my GC8 I have IRL (though this in game one is MUCH faster with all the upgrades lol). This is such a great game to just burn an hour on when chatting with friends on discord. The gameplay is simple and reminiscent of racing games from the late 90's and early 00's. It has a ton of charm and is EXTREMELY Japanese, but the simple gameplay and the quirks are what keep me coming back to this one. This will be my go to game for a while when I just want to burn an hour on something simple.
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Comment on The video-game industry has a problem: there are too many games in ~games
EsteeBestee LinkAs a lifelong gamer, it's interesting seeing the industry start to mature and saturate a bit. I do like that I have a million choices on what to play these days and it's almost hard to find bad...As a lifelong gamer, it's interesting seeing the industry start to mature and saturate a bit. I do like that I have a million choices on what to play these days and it's almost hard to find bad games. That said, there was something a bit fun about gaming pre 2012 or so when there were a handful of releases each year that everyone bought and there was a lot of buzz for those games and all of your gamers friends were playing the same games. Nowadays, gaming is so wide that while you still have some games doing that (Baldur's Gate 3, as an example), it seems that fewer games are becoming long lasting cultural shifting pieces of media and that games tend to "come and go" more often. Maybe it's just nostalgia or maybe I don't immerse myself in gaming spaces as much. I don't think it's a bad thing that we have "too many" games now, but it's just an interesting shift. We're unlikely to see another game that globally shifts culture like World of Warcraft or Halo, but yet we still have games that become incredibly special pieces of art and influence their communities.
I'm kind of just rambling, I'm not really trying to make a point, just observing that gaming definitely does feel more saturated and "established" nowadays, for better or worse.
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Comment on TV Tuesdays Free Talk in ~tv
EsteeBestee LinkDespite being a massive fan of Top Gear and The Grand Tour (TG is the reason my main hobbies are cars and motorsports), I had never watched TG season 1 until this last week. Everyone said it was...Despite being a massive fan of Top Gear and The Grand Tour (TG is the reason my main hobbies are cars and motorsports), I had never watched TG season 1 until this last week. Everyone said it was bad, so I never bothered. I’ve been down with some sort of sickness and have had loads of time, so I binged it. It was not nearly as good as future seasons, but compared to the other early seasons, it really is not bad. Jason doesn’t have any chemistry with Jeremy or Richard, but his segments aren’t bad and Jeremy and Richard have good reviews, it just isn’t as zany as it starts to get around season 5ish and beyond.
While I have watched seasons 2-5 before, it’s been a long while, so I’m continuing on with those right now.
Yeah, I'm not rushing to get off and if I need to be on these forever, so be it, but considering how quickly anxiety destroyed me this summer, I'm hoping I can overcome it. I'm already feeling much better after just a few days on it and I've heard it can take a few weeks to feel normal once you first start. It just makes me sad to have gone from being "perfectly fine" (in retrospect, I was not fine) to a complete mess in just a couple of months, but I've heard anxiety can really build in you and hit all at once.
Edit:
And to put it in perspective, I went from my normal life to trying to buy a house by myself, I had a different health scare this summer, elective surgery in spring, I had a ton of work related stress, and then for the 2 weeks I took to move and get settled, I was eating nothing but fast food and hadn't gone to the gym. About 2 weeks after I moved is when my health started declining. I was getting migraines, dizziness, lightheadedness, heart palpitations, and random pains and I was in the hospital three times. It seems to have all been anxiety related now that all of those symptoms are improving while on cymbalta. So I can see why my brain started freaking out even though I consciously felt fine once I was settled in the house.