tyrny's recent activity
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Comment on The unlikelihood of being complimented as a man in ~life.men
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Comment on What vegetable are you? in ~food
tyrny Link ParentWe are the pumpkin patch! Also spooky accurate…We are the pumpkin patch! Also spooky accurate…
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Comment on The rise of DIY, pirated medicine: Four Thieves Vinegar Collective has made DIY medicine cheaper and more accessible to the masses in ~health
tyrny Link ParentUse of antibiotics within the context of livestock is a contributor to worldwide resistance but right now there it is not clear whether human use or agricultural use is the dominant driver of...Use of antibiotics within the context of livestock is a contributor to worldwide resistance but right now there it is not clear whether human use or agricultural use is the dominant driver of antimicrobial resistance. The research is definitely ongoing.
Considering that AMR is driven heavily by primers and has a large degree of worldwide spread, the actual effect of agricultural antibiotic use vs healthcare antibiotic use makes it difficult to pinpoint the "source". Especially considering both the natural occurrence of AMR in nature and the wax/wane pattern of gaining/losing resistance.
Antimicrobial heteroresistance complicates the question heavily, and is likely a driver in the patterns witnessed in healthcare settings where the MIC increases as selective pressure of antibiotics is introduced during treatment.
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Comment on Friends. How / how often do you keep in touch? in ~life
tyrny LinkBackground: Married, mid 30s, I live in a densely populated state but in an area bordering on rural. I have 4 people I would call good friends, in that I message with them on a regular basis and...Background: Married, mid 30s, I live in a densely populated state but in an area bordering on rural.
How many friends do you have? Good good friends vs more casual friends. What's the dividing line or definition of one vs the other for you? Related question: what life stage are you in, and what was friendship like at a different stage?
I have 4 people I would call good friends, in that I message with them on a regular basis and keep up with their lives and they keep up with mine. We offer each other emotional support. I could potentially add in a 5th but we have a slightly different relationship due to a number of factors and he isn't someone I confide in about very personal topics so he gets a little downgraded. An additional number (4-5 people) are in a more casual friend place where I meet up with them when possible, often through some of the others, and we sometimes message but not on as frequent a basis (less than every 2 months or so).
My friend group has changed as I grew up, high school friends faded, college friends faded, grad school friends stuck the most (3 of the 4 close friends), and work friends stuck a bit (1 of the 4 close, the one semi close, and 3 of the casual friends).
How do you keep in touch, esp for friends not in your city? Do you call them randomly or call / video chat with them regularly? Do texts count? Do people welcome phone calls out of the blue or is it more like, "oh gosh you have cancer" if one gets a call from a friend these days?
We mostly text and organize hang outs. I try to reach out and check in on a regular basis. My closest friend I try to talk with weekly and we hang out about once a month. We live in the same state. Another friend lives in a different city (2 hours away) and we message weekly and see each other about every 2-3 months (sometimes she treks out to me, sometimes I visit her city). The third close friend lives in another city (4 hours away) and I message her (sometimes multiple times a week, sometimes we go a month) and also try to visit ~2-3 times a year. The fourth close friend is also same state but has a much busier lifestyle with a family so we hang out about every 2-3 months but our conversations tend to go deeper.
How much effort are regular people* putting into maintaining/strengthening their friendships in their late-30s onwards? (Regular people being, maybe, folks who aren't terminally online, folks who are neurotypical, folks without social anxiety etc?)
Well I am 33, as I have gotten older I put more effort in because I am not naturally seeing these folks at work or in class. I try to mentally keep track of the last time I messaged or saw a person and then organize from there. I do have social anxiety and have put a lot of effort into finding people I am comfortable putting the effort into. I have let many many relationships die because they were too one sided or I didn't have the mental bandwidth to give enough effort to keep them going.
Do folks suddenly realise maybe they don't have many/any close friends, or they're not as close anymore as they thought they were decades ago? How do folks maintain friendship as people age and move apart? Or is it just normal that once you're not in the same city to hang out, they stop being good friends?
For me the reckoning point in how many friends I had was when I was planning my wedding. Like how do some people have like 5-10 bridesmaids and like 500 guests?????? I notice that as my life has changed the time I have has changed but because we have less of it for friends it just feels more valuable. I might only see my best friend for brunch or game night once a month when we used to be together daily in grad school, but we still feel just as close. There is more understanding when you get older that the way you hang out changes. Instead of girls night sleep overs with a friend we now have dinners with our husbands and her kid.
Have you ever made conscious and serious efforts to make / rekindle friendships before? How, and how'd that turn out ?
Yes. I will purposefully pursue spending time and attention on a person to ensure a friendship is maintained when I worried time and space would damage it. When that person reciprocates it is successful, when they don't then it is in a cool down of deciding if I have enough history with the person to try again later (maybe even years later) or basically letting it fade away. I have a set of friends in another city (1 hour away) that I am seriously considering trying to re-bond with, but am weighing that against my free time right now.
The most important thing is just making time when possible. I find people understand adult schedules suck, but I plan hang outs with friends months in advance at times because then it happens and I keep the friendship going. It is worth it.
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Comment on Looking for advice — extreme frustration with my dog in ~life.pets
tyrny Link ParentIt really sounds like you love him and it’s so great that you are doing so much for him. He is lucky to have you. For the couches if he is insistent about being on them one thing that I don’t know...It really sounds like you love him and it’s so great that you are doing so much for him. He is lucky to have you. For the couches if he is insistent about being on them one thing that I don’t know if you looked into is doggy stairs. When our Pom started getting older we got little dog ramps for the couches so she would have a safe way up and down and it worked to bridge the period between her trying to jump when she really couldn’t anymore and her being too blind to be trusted on furniture anymore.
In my opinion you are absolutely correct that routine is the most important factor in keeping things smooth. I really wish you guys the best of luck in having a happy and smooth time as he lives out his golden years and you complete the PhD. -
Comment on Looking for advice — extreme frustration with my dog in ~life.pets
tyrny LinkI will preface this by saying that every dog is different and I don't know your dog. Currently I have 3 dogs, a 15 year old blind and mostly deaf Pomeranian with multiple health issues, a 7 year...I will preface this by saying that every dog is different and I don't know your dog. Currently I have 3 dogs, a 15 year old blind and mostly deaf Pomeranian with multiple health issues, a 7 year old Pit/Lab mutt with anxiety, and a 1.5 year Pyr mutt with a history of reactive aggression and resource guarding.
he will not leave me alone. He needs to be where I am at all times. We live in a modest one bedroom apartment, and you can see every room from any other room. if I go into the bedroom and he’s in the living room, he has to hop off the couch and follow me 15 feet. If I go to the bathroom, he’s laying down outside the door. Because of his arthritis, I wish he would just stay and not walk unnecessarily.
Your dog is capable of choosing if the discomfort from the arthritis is not worth being near you. I completely understand both being annoyed by being followed around constantly and having it compounded by wanting him to chill. But is the issue that he is underfoot or is the issue that you are worried about him being uncomfortable?
I take him on one good size walk and two or three small walks per day. these are the most frustrating times of my day. He lags behind me no matter how slowly I go. I have to keep the leash very short so that I don’t have him fearing off left and right. He wants to smell every single thing. He used to, be a good walker and he would stay at my side and come to that position if I signal him to. But in his old age, he just doesn’t listen to me, it’s not a matter of hearing. He completely ignores me.
You have gotten a lot of good advice here but I will reiterate that the older the dog gets the more they are made happier by just going slow and sniffing. Both of my young dogs have their main walks as sniff patrol walks where they get to check the smells. We do exercise walks less because honestly they like the sniffing walks more and they get more worn out from 20-30min of deep sniffing than from 45min of traditional walking. The oldest one does not even really walk anymore and instead I just plop her in a location and let her sniff and roll.
if he is not eating, out on a walk, or tearing up a stuffy, he is unhappy. He lays and will now and then sneezes or sighs.
What would you prefer he do in his downtime? He might be unhappy but he is also old and old creatures do a lot of sitting around and sleeping. You comment that you don't want him following you around due to the arthritis, so are you expecting him to be sleeping?
he has always had this problem where, a sudden loud noise will deeply disturb him. He will shake uncontrollably, and any attempt to soothe him, by talking to him or touching him, just makes him shake worse.
At this stage of life you could talk to behavioral trainers if you want to find ways to address this issue. If he has trouble self soothing it is a problem and he might benefit from intervention.
he hounds me for food. The moment I touched something in the kitchen, he comes.
Because he is very food motivated you may be able to use this to provide additional stimulation for him. Have you tried games such as treat hunting? Additionally you could try distracting him from his fear of loud noises by redirecting him towards performing a command for food. One way I have been successfully working with my dog with aggression issues is by redirecting her focus on the thing she is mad at towards "training time", where she instead has to do minor commands like sit and down to get treats.
I have gotten him several bowls to try slowing down his eating, but he eats like he’s starving. So I have to feed him in small bits, and if the bits are spread apart too far, he starts shaking like he’s being neglected. I have had him tested for diabetes or other issues, his blood work comes back normal.
How many meals a day do you feed him? He might benefit from having smaller meals more frequently.
he always wants to sleep in my bed, but he does not want me to touch him. If we are sleeping back to back and our hips touch, he gets off the bed. And then he gets back on as soon as he sees a decent opportunity. we used to share the bed, because I have had a California king size bed by myself, and it was fine. But in the last year, it’s just like he hates it.
To be fair on this one, beds are comfy but cuddling is not always great, especially if he is sore or uncomfortable from arthritis. Is the problem that he wants to be in the bed but wants space? Of my three, the oldest doesn't sleep in the bed because of her being blind we can't risk her falling out, the pittie prefers the floor near the bed because he is skittish, and the puppy loves the bed but likes her space when sleeping so she moves between our bed and a guest bed depending on if she wants to cuddle or not. They are just preferences and I don't think you should read it something negative.
Someone else mentioned that it seems like perhaps your real life stress is resulting in some of this being so irritating, and I hope you really think about that, because many of these sound relatively minor in the grand scheme of what living with an aging pet can mean. He is not a young dog anymore, his needs are different now and yours are too. You are busy with your life in a different way, doing a PhD and TAing is a large time commitment with a very large level of stress attached. Consider which of these are actual problems with the dog and which are maybe scapegoats for other things.
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Comment on IUD insertion is painful. For the first time, the CDC issued guidance for US physicians. in ~life.women
tyrny Link ParentMy experience is very similar to yours. My first sorta hurt but really it was more on the discomfort side. When I got that one replaced though, my god... I have never experienced such pain. I am...My experience is very similar to yours. My first sorta hurt but really it was more on the discomfort side. When I got that one replaced though, my god... I have never experienced such pain. I am normally a very grin and bear it person when it comes to pain and discomfort, but I involuntarily screamed. It was so awful I delayed getting a replacement when the time came because I assumed it would be the same.
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Comment on Blood culture bottle shortage challenges US hospitals, labs in ~health
tyrny LinkBD is a massive manufacturer of culturing supplies. When I was working in labs pretty much all basic culturing tools came from them. They basically wrote the manual on what media to culture with....BD is a massive manufacturer of culturing supplies. When I was working in labs pretty much all basic culturing tools came from them. They basically wrote the manual on what media to culture with. https://www.scientificlabs.co.uk/handlers/libraryFiles.ashx?filename=Manuals_2_212304_A.pdf
We occasionally would order from a different company from France for a specific product, but the way hospital and university purchasing works creates massive disincentives for new companies. It is always easier to purchase from the company you have the relationship with and who is already in the finance system. You also end up with negotiated discounts. I am not totally surprised that an issue with BD supplies would be hurting many many many institutions. We really rely heavily on only a couple of big corporations for essential medical supplies.
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Comment on Slugs - how are you coping? in ~life.home_improvement
tyrny LinkWe have copper tape lining beds that got hit. Have also been more diligent about trimming plants to prevent overhang outside their beds. But we went to town placing beer traps. We use any small...We have copper tape lining beds that got hit. Have also been more diligent about trimming plants to prevent overhang outside their beds. But we went to town placing beer traps. We use any small container we can scrounge (many many empty cat food tins or yogurt cups). It took time but has seemed to help. This year has been awful (NJ - USA). Doing veg gardening has made me hate bugs so much…
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Comment on What's a life lesson you've applied that has changed your life? in ~life
tyrny LinkFor me it’s the mantra that “perfection is the enemy of good”. I have struggled a lot with being a perfectionist and it has definitely led to becoming paralyzed over things, becoming afraid to try...For me it’s the mantra that “perfection is the enemy of good”.
I have struggled a lot with being a perfectionist and it has definitely led to becoming paralyzed over things, becoming afraid to try or get started because I felt like it had to be perfect and I would end up just never starting or trying at all. Having the reminder that striving for perfection can be harmful and that things less than perfect have value has been really important in giving me the confidence in trying things outside my comfort zone and wheel house.
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Comment on The illustrated encyclopedia of sleeping positions on a plane in ~travel
tyrny LinkThis was too funny, thanks for the share. I learned how to sleep in the WTF position after years of early morning commutes on the train and have gotten that exact reaction when a friend caught me...This was too funny, thanks for the share.
I learned how to sleep in the WTF position after years of early morning commutes on the train and have gotten that exact reaction when a friend caught me sleeping that way in a chair on a camping trip.
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Comment on Experimental real property tax basis-set rate based on usable area per person in ~finance
tyrny Link ParentI could see something like this working for specific areas, such as cities/town centers and directly surrounding areas. But the trade off between space and proximity in many places may very well...I could see something like this working for specific areas, such as cities/town centers and directly surrounding areas. But the trade off between space and proximity in many places may very well not achieve these goals. They could even instead create a reinforcing loop where residential spaces close to job centers are denser due to space constraints already in place and then end up with the benefit of close proximity and lower taxes, while larger residential spaces not in close proximity to high demand areas become more expensive, pushing more demand onto the lower taxed more dense areas rather than resulting in incentivized residential development.
I also would wonder how the tax would handle things such as divorce or other changes in family size. Would sqft/person be based on the actual number of people or the number of bedrooms? It might get sticky if a divorce means a higher tax rate or if having lots of kids means a lower one.
It takes a lot of time for ideal neighborhoods with walkability and transport to be developed. A change in tax code might be able to push towards that but I think would punish many people who live in suburban spaces. Changing zoning laws to incentivize density and mixed use space would likely be a less painful route to the goal you want.
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Comment on Experimental real property tax basis-set rate based on usable area per person in ~finance
tyrny LinkSo I would have a couple of questions with this. 1st, fair market value taxes property based on the size and location of a property. A smaller dwelling in the center of a very high demand urban...So I would have a couple of questions with this.
1st, fair market value taxes property based on the size and location of a property. A smaller dwelling in the center of a very high demand urban area carries a higher tax burden than a large sprawling one in the middle of nowhere because that property is worth more. Would taxing based on sqft/person not end up disproportionately favor people in denser urban areas with better economies compared to people in rural and more economically poor settings?
2nd, I currently live on a property that is somewhere between 6-7 acres in a single family dwelling. Would I be taxed on the size of my property or the size of my house?
3rd, the location where our home is located has zoning laws that aim to reduce the number of people living here to protect the environment. How would a tax law with a clear incentive towards density work in areas with zoning laws to prevent density? The zoning laws are not township wide but specific to a certain area due to its ecosystem.
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Comment on Spring gardening thread in ~hobbies
tyrny LinkWe are in full swing of garden season. In our vegetable garden we were very happy to see the asparagus come into its second year strong with amazing growth, although we are now combating an...We are in full swing of garden season.
In our vegetable garden we were very happy to see the asparagus come into its second year strong with amazing growth, although we are now combating an asparagus beetle invasion. May is our busiest month with plants but we are mostly on track. A mushroom bed was already added and this weekend we will likely be building out a new squash bed outside the fenced garden since once the plants mature they are relatively deer proof.
The berry patch is also doing well, all the grapes are coming back nicely and now demanding I finish building the arbor for them. The strawberries have overgrown their two beds and are already growing fruit, so I will need to add the bird net this week. And all of our blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and others are looking good.
Big issue so far this year in the edible gardens is pest control. Now that things are establishing we are spending a lot of time in prevention and mitigation. Last year towards end of summer we had a rabbit break in, hopefully our additional layer of fencing prevents a repeat this year. We also had issues with cabbage worms and this year covered the broccoli and cauliflower immediately upon planting. Slugs are a current annoyance and we are going to try to deal with them via copper tape and beer.
We had a deer break into two of our fenced off fruit trees with an apple taking the most damage. New, larger, and sturdier fencing is in progress and we are using deer spray as a stop gap measure. This year we added 3 baby hazelnut trees to the border of our mini orchard and the woods.
On the landscaping side I am very happy that all 10 of my new hydrangeas survived and are growing nicely as well as the 3 redbuds, white oak, tulip tree, and arrowwood viburnum that were added last year. This year we have planted bare root serviceberries, pussy willow, bur oak, swamp white oak, shellbark hickory, gray dogwood, and redosier dogwood. We also started working on our native meadow project and native swamp meadow with some new grasses and flowers including nodding onion, tufted hairgrass, joe pye weed, foxglove, and others.
For your debate on serviceberry vs aronia I am firmly in the serviceberry camp. We have a couple varieties and are planning a mix between multi-stem plants near our meadow and single trunk for lining our drive. They look great for both spring and fall.
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Comment on GlobalUsefulNativeTrees, a database documenting 14,014 tree species, supports synergies between biodiversity recovery and local livelihoods in landscape restoration in ~enviro
tyrny Link ParentHey, I am working on a very similar project and am very happy to share notes if you are interested. For us we are also trying to bring back a native forest that has become overrun with invasives...Hey, I am working on a very similar project and am very happy to share notes if you are interested. For us we are also trying to bring back a native forest that has become overrun with invasives and has experienced an ash borer induced die off. We have had good luck protecting young trees from deer browse using the tube method and have also had success protecting shrubs and other small plants with black wire fencing.
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Comment on How do you take notes while reading? Do you have a “marginalia” process? What has helped you learn better and retain new knowledge? in ~creative
tyrny Link ParentThis is pretty similar for me. First pass is reading through without taking notes just to get a feel for the material. If I think I will want to refer back then I save the article/chapter so I can...This is pretty similar for me.
First pass is reading through without taking notes just to get a feel for the material. If I think I will want to refer back then I save the article/chapter so I can find it quicker. If I definitely want to dig deep I will print out copies and underline/take notes in the margins on a second read through. Once I have a hard copy with my own notes I tend to refer back to that version when I am going back to it and may end up adding more notes. If I later on realize I am not using it as much it gets filed away for later, if enough time passes or I really decide that a particular article isn't relevant anymore I will toss them. All articles though get saved digitally and filed into folders for organization. The process worked decently well through grad school and after when I was in research science (more protocols entered the stack at this point).
Overall though I completely agree with above that re-reading over time is the best way for things to sink in. The notes and keeping copies were more for my own train of thought, to give me the exact point to reference to, and because I like physically flipping through paper articles when reading deeper.
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Comment on Early tests of H5N1 prevalence in milk suggest US bird flu outbreak in cows is widespread in ~health
tyrny Link ParentI would say that if you see a lot of dead birds in the area or hear about seals or other mammals dying it would also be wise to stay further away as it might indicate a larger degree of infection.I would say that if you see a lot of dead birds in the area or hear about seals or other mammals dying it would also be wise to stay further away as it might indicate a larger degree of infection.
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Comment on Early tests of H5N1 prevalence in milk suggest US bird flu outbreak in cows is widespread in ~health
tyrny Link ParentInfluenza can be harsh and does kill a lot of people every year, which is why we have global collaboration groups tracking it (such as CIERR, which Andy Bowman is part of). But we also pay a lot...Influenza can be harsh and does kill a lot of people every year, which is why we have global collaboration groups tracking it (such as CIERR, which Andy Bowman is part of). But we also pay a lot more attention to influenza, know way more about it, and have vaccine pipelines already working which can respond much faster.
COVID was rough in large part because we had a long period of time not knowing enough and not having vaccines.
Can an influenza cause a pandemic? Of course, it has happened before multiple times. Are we better prepared for an influenza pandemic than a novel pathogen? Yes.
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Comment on Early tests of H5N1 prevalence in milk suggest US bird flu outbreak in cows is widespread in ~health
tyrny Link ParentThe risk would be low. When influenza is in birds it needs to have a certain type of HA to be able to bind to bird host cells (SAα2,3), in humans it needs a different type (SAα2,6). Avian...The risk would be low. When influenza is in birds it needs to have a certain type of HA to be able to bind to bird host cells (SAα2,3), in humans it needs a different type (SAα2,6). Avian influenza makes the news when we see it spreading in mammals because it means it gained a new binding strategy to deal with mammal cells. Pigs are the big worry because they can transmit human binding and avian binding influenza so they make a perfect mixing pot for avian influenzas to get decent at human spread. Seagulls and such are always pooping in areas that mammals like seals are in, and it is super uncommon to see seal die offs from influenza, enough so that when it happens it makes waves in the influenza surveillance community. But we have seen seal die offs, there was one about a year or 2 ago that we did a lot of work on.
The cow to human transmissions we are seeing now are rare, and cows have much much closer contact with humans than birds and are already mammals (but not as big a deal as pigs). So you are likely fine in the water where it should be diluted, but don't go licking up or snorting poop if you can help it. -
Comment on The search for the ultimate home/apartment spring cleaning guide in ~life.home_improvement
tyrny LinkWhen we bought our house we tried to put together a chart of tasks that would let us keep up with maintenance and monthly/seasonal/yearly cleaning. It was scraped together from a variety of online...When we bought our house we tried to put together a chart of tasks that would let us keep up with maintenance and monthly/seasonal/yearly cleaning. It was scraped together from a variety of online guides from places like Better Homes and Gardens, Bob Vila, The Spruce, etc.
I am not totally sure the scope of what you are asking for so apologies if this isn't really answering the question.
Weekly
- dust
- sweep/vacuum
- mop
- bathrooms quick clean
Monthly
- empty all the tiny trash cans (in home offices, etc)
- clean stove
- purge fridge of suspect food
- deep clean bathrooms
- wash dog bedding/dog couch blankets (more during muddy weather)
Seasonal (Spring)
- Wash all removal couch/chair covers (twice a year, more if needed)
- Clean vents (twice a year)
- Vacuum Freezer and Fridge coils and empty/clean drip trays (twice a year)
- Purge and inventory deep freezers and pantry (twice a year)
- Change AC filter (twice a year)
- Riding mower and other lawn/power tool maintenance (yearly)
- Service AC system
- Power wash siding
- Clean windows, get window screens out of storage and clean before reinstalling
- Clean/unclog drains (twice a year)
- Clean faucet aerators (every 3 months)
- Remove lint from dryer ducts
- Clean baseboard fins (twice a year)
- Clean gutters (twice a year)
- Polish wood furniture (every 3 months)
- Wax floors (every 3 months)
- Inspect outer structures for damage (roof, siding, chimney, well, driveway)
- Get well water tested
- Clean desk and check if new paint is needed
- Caulk bathroom if needed
- Clean and store winter clothing/bedding.
- Clean under furniture
- Clean light fixtures
- Clean kitchen vent (every 3 months)
Seasonal (Other, putting Fall/Winter, Summer and 3 month tasks together)
- check water softener
- check CO and fire alarms
- Oil door hinges
- Winterizing tasks (cover AC unit, drain and store hoses, landscaping stuff)
- Check windows and doors for gaps and cracks that need sealing
- Check window trim for touch ups
- Service boiler
Yearly or less frequent
- Pump septic system
I am sure I am forgetting some stuff. Also this does not all happen in a single weekend. Just doing a couple tasks a week makes it very manageable. Doing more often cleaning of things that tend to get hard to clean also makes it much easier to keep them clean, like the stove, oven, fridge, baseboards, vents. And regular maintenance to the structural things keeps them in better condition for longer.
I think that this is likely very true for a lot of people. When I saw this thread I asked my husband how often he gets complimented and he replied that it wasn’t very often. However I know for a fact that he gets complimented at least weekly and often more than that. It’s so common for him to come from work mentioning that he was complimented on his outfit or his work or some other random thing. He also is always being fawned over by my parents. When I asked him about those events his reaction was “oh yeah, I guess I do get compliments”. It’s really easy for things to feel routine and not end up memorable, I know this happens with compliments I get as well. I wonder how often people who think they aren’t getting compliments are simply not getting compliments they remember or even registering the compliments they do get as real compliments.