Cat_Robutt

YAY!!!!!! ALSO YAY!!!! That's so mean but I can't help but giggle at the image...

You're going to FSU, right? May I ask what your husband is interested in? I grew up in the area and may be able to put y'all in contact with people depending––I did communication/media, so that's my field. If I can do anything to help please let me know! Also Congrats!!! Ohhhh well then that changes things! I hope you get it sorted out! And now you have a cool list of what you have, which could come in handy. @hippyscientist Yes, thanks for the yoga tips! Now I can do yoga without being embarrassed about how inflexible I am.

Thanks for all the support y'all It is really appreciated. @pterosaur Some kinds of renter's insurance can be bundled in with car insurance; we have Statefarm and our car + renter is one big package. That way, we just have to do one payment, which makes it easier when dealing with all kinds of other external/internal stressors like school! And @hippyscientist sorry your workspace is so loud! It's bizarre that they aren't providing an alternate space in which to work! June is almost halfway completed, y'all....wow.

Y'all....I don't know if you heard about what happened in Orlando, Florida, this weekend. I still don't know if all of my friends who live there are safe It's been a really, really rough two weeks for me. Even if things were going perfectly with my in-laws, between the Stanford case, Trump winning the nom, and the Pulse murders, I just feel exhausted and scared of the struggle of being someone like me. Why do people want to kill us?

At least your room is cool? THOSE ARE ADORABLE!!!!! @Need Coffee in an IV *hugs* family is a weird thing...we get told we are supposed to or should have happy family relationships, when in reality sometimes...we just don't get along. Family members can be the best and worst of humanity. My pard would love to have a great relationship with their mom, but...their mom is not a nice person, and trying to have a 'close relationship' would cause my pard a huge amount of emotional trauma. We're here if you need us.

@savay You could always make an angel food cake and custard! That uses ALL the eggs. @hippyscientist What do you take for your allergies? We've been cleaning lots and it's kicked up my childhood asthma (darn) so I've been taking DayQuil and flonase. blech! Thank y'all for the makeup tips! I bought some primer for painting my face which is just like primer for painting a room I guess, and some waterproof things, and some clear lip liner so lipstick stays on....and it's working pretty well? I think. Our 5k went well! There was one dude who ran it in 16:40. WOW what a baller! I ran it in 38:50. Nothing super, but also see childhood asthma above. We did it, though! Also it's HOT. Where we were in Los Angeles it was in the 60s and 70s. Here? 101, 98, 103. Great time to test out how waterproof this makeup REALLY is.

Thanks! I checked out the Rebdolls site––cute stuff, but waaaaay above my body confidence! I don't have the swagger to pull that off Does this work well with darker warm tones? It seems cool, but I wouldn't know! Thanks all y'all for this great advice!

@Effloresce Do you have favorite online retailers? With the whole Florida thing....we're going to the beach and um...I don't actually own any swimwear.

@Effloresce If you like wearing femme clothing, the website eShakti designs custom-fit clothing and it isn't really that expensive considering they pay their workers well and tailor your clothes for you. Also, they seem to always have sales! And yes...catcalling and its opposite of public shaming are both horrid.

@Need Coffee in an IV Ahhhhh thanks! I um.... sometimes I whack myself with mascara tubes and it's NOT PRETTY hahaha. Thanks y'all for your makeup advice! I wear lotions and have a skincare routine, but tend to get really messy with makeup. Like a little kid going through Mom's makeup drawer messy. Trying some of these products out should help!

Do you eyes ever start to water and get all raccoon-y when you wear weird makeup? Mine do and I've no clue how to help that!

People are creepy! And yes, it shouldn't matter what you wear, how you look, or how you present yourself––no one has the right to harass you! Nobody. It sucks that we live in a culture where it's viewed as okay to comment on others' bodies as if they were in the public sphere. Part of my research interests are how women's bodies especially are viewed as public space for public consumption as women are viewed as 'lesser.' I'm sorry this happens to you On the flip side, I wear super conservative clothing (below-knee length skirts/collared shirts/masculine slacks) and still get eval comments like "red lipstick distracting" or "should wear different clothes." I've also gotten strangers call me "matron," "bull dyke," and "bitch," so no matter how you look or present the patriarchy is gonna do its thing. Thrift stores!!! And having fewer clothing items that can all match with each other. I have never had many clothes, especially when younger, but always made sure they were clean and pressed and that they all matched. I wear a lot of blacks and whites––black jeans can be paired with a collared shirt for a New Mexico Fancy look; the same jeans can be paired with a t-shirt for casual errands. I like dressing formally as I'm fat, and the stigma associated with that means if I wear clothes that are too casual people will perceive me as slovenly. Darn stereotypes!

Congrats!!!! I guess... I can do some makeup but... summertime in Florida makeup? I dunno. No clue. How does waterproof work? <3<3<3 this is really sweet. Y'all are all so sweet. I thought having an extra bone was?

YES. YES YES YES YES. Awwww your poor dad! That does sound rather adorable, though. And yes, my sis-in-law is like a genuine sister; she's suuuuuper smart, sweet, funny, and attractive. I think if I hadn't married her sibling I would have married her! And I get to see her next weekend!!! She's coming to help us with some painting stuff and I'm so excited; it will help make the stay much easier for a few days.

@hippyscientist Kiehls! Neat! Thanks for the recommendation! I don't wear makeup much as I range from butch to femme depending, and am terrified of getting my makeup done for the wedding because of a horrifying "makeover" in high school that left me looking like a clownish reject for a camo-themed wedding. My sister-in-law is a chemist for a big chemicals company, so she gives me free samples for fancy makeup I could never afford––the next time she gives me some Bobbi Brown I'll pass it along to you!

Hey everyone! So, I'm going to be the maid of honor for a wedding in a month, and was wondering if y'all had any favorite skin products/makeup/hair products you use when getting ready for social outings? For the past week I've been so focused on construction/cleaning/painting and staying sane that I haven't even taken care of my skin, and it's taken a toll: some small stress acne has appeared on my chin! argh! Normally I try and take care of all of my body, but the change of climate and mood have been a lil rough. Any advice would be appreciated!. Also she-who-shall-not-be-named called me an invasive species yesterday, so guess I'm like a feral cat in the Everglades y'all

@janetjanejune I like kids and also don't at the same time...I'm kinda like the mother in We Need to Talk About Kevin in some ways. I do think teens need to get more leeway than they do; I mean, they're discovering adults lie to them all the time, that the future may not be that bright, and dealing with all those hormones bouncing off each other to boot!

@janetjanejune You must be a very patient human! It's good you've got friends nearby too

Did you dress up??? I think images from the Portland Star Wars Pug Crawl have really set the bar. Oh wow! Will you be all right financially until then? Mentally/emotionally as well? Is there a safe space you can get away and chill? nooooooooo humidity

That is genius! To enter the backpack convo, I've heard Timbuk2 makes good bags, and they have some weatherproof ones for things like snow and rain as well as ones designed for bicycling. It all depends on what you'll be doing with it! @janetjanejune I'd never heard of Totally Spies! before but looked it up and, well, guess that's what I'll be doing along with finishing season 2 of Gilmore Girls this month.

Have you read Jean Baudrillard's America? The depiction of Disney totally changed how I view Epcot. Really interesting stuff there on how Americans view idyllic "Americana" and the rest of the world! I feel super guilty with all this discussion on media...as a media scholar, I consume SO MUCH media. There are shows I actively dislike but still hate-watch because of my research interests, like Arrow or Bats v. Supes....as I've aged, there are also things I used to like that now I find really problematic and then get angry watching like Doctor Who and Lord of the Rings. It's sad how so much media is incongruent with being an intersectional feminist; as the term goes "your fave is problematic." Also, with Gilmore Girls––have any of y'all watched Jane the Virgin? I feel like there are some parallels between the two.

@hippyscientist Oh oops sorry for being redundant! My offer to help you with moving stuff still stands, especially if you haven't quite healed up all the way. So, question: Why is Gilmore Girls so good? Why do y'all like watching it?

Depending on where you were stationed and the kind of work you'd be doing, you would have access to a shower; e.g. medical work in a city in India=shower whereas community work in rural Cameroon=probably no shower. There are all kinds of stories from volunteers about their experiences with varying degrees of positivity. A relative of mine who did Peace Corps and is now an epidemiologist with the CDC gave me some advice when I was considering it if you'd like me to pass that along? @hippyscientist Yay on your video! Hope you're also able to find some good flights. I'd highly recommend flying into Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, renting a car, and driving as the State College airport is very small and with all the luggage you'll have, it might be easier to load that into a car! All this talk about Gilmore Girls is so spoilery! I know the show has been out for forrrrrreeeeever but we've just started season two where Jess shows up....he seems like a major tool but my pard seems to love him for some reason. It's fun to watch! So much teen angst.

I could see that....and yet, there are so many adults who have a myriad of responsibilities and yet cannot seem to handle difficult situations with a sense of poise/purpose. There are definitely times to get upset when appropriate, and also times to remain calm when appropriate; I've met many who can't seem to navigate that. Having taught interpersonal communication, I love hearing people's stories about how they have come to communicate in the manner they do––are there situational similarities? Familial or cultural similarities? Or is emotional awareness and maturity seemingly random? Is it adversity or age? And so on...there are infinite stories and styles about one's own communication and how it changes.

@Neist I'm so sorry that happened, and your outlook on the whole situation is amazing...that kind of emotional self-awareness is brilliant. How did you get to be where you are today in that regard, if I may ask?