I didn’t know it was a trend, we have a Pickles and a Tofu, both cats. Here is one of our not food named animals, Bella.

I second a program revamp. Starting simple is great for getting a good habit going of rotating muscle groups for days, then move on to more targeted/complex programming. Push, Pull, Legs is super simple and gives a good rotation of muscle groups to start. Definitely log or note where your maximum weight for reps is and then base your sets around that number until you can move up. You want to push your body into building muscle without overdoing it and risking injury. Diet is a huge point of developing muscle and a better build, but it won’t happen if you don’t also train properly. Eat well, update your programming, and don’t forget rest days to allow your body to rebuild and heal up. It will take time, but it will get there.

This makes me unreasonably upset. Farmers need to be drug tested AND breathalyzed. They also need to provide up to date household income information, including the gross income of anyone living on their property. They should also be required to provide last 3 to 5 employer references, verification they are working 40 hours per week or volunteering an equivalent amount at a state approved business, this all has to be done on an online site that requires desktop computer access. You can’t use Chrome or Firefox, only Microsoft Edge. If they don’t fill out the forms and attach the appropriately filled out paper documents properly, they will get a mailed statement letting them know they were denied and can re file after a 30 day waiting period. They can call to speak to their case manager, but there is only a phone tree that takes them to voicemail. If they miss the call back from the case manager, their file will be flagged as unresponsive and may require filling out all forms and paperwork again. They may also be denied because of typos, unfinished forms on the case manager side, or an unreasonable reading of acceptance rules.

This is not commentary on social services in America at all /s

Living in a bigger Florida city for a while, I realized the bus system was not for me. Besides way less than stellar routing to get from point A to point 1 to point H to point L to point B, they changed how they handled pricing more than a few times while I was there. Add the fact that even by car you’re looking at about 30 minutes time, and who knows how long for the bus, made me a diehard cyclist. Most trips were comparable to driving with the added benefits that cycling has. Unfortunately there is almost no incentive for cities to upgrade public transport that enough people will get behind, even if it makes the most sense.

I have my 2.4 network named IsThisTheKrustyKrab and my 5 network named WutangLAN.

One neighbor joined in with Winternet is Coming, the other called theirs Childish Name.

There are so many different places to start when it comes to addressing issues with drinking or any other addictive behavior. Acknowledging where you truly are at with it is a huge step in the right direction. Some things I’ve found that make it more likely someone will stay the course with sobriety or harm reduction are:

Having a support network who offers outside reinforcement of your goals. If you spend enough time hanging around the barbershop, you’ll eventually get a haircut. This goes both ways; sticking around people and places that support you will reinforcement positive behaviors and mindsets on a social as well as personal level. I found a lot of good people in recovery settings, but I also found a lot of good support in the hobbies I pursue.

Build the life you aren’t willing to give up. A lot of decisions that led me or people I worked with to drink boiled down to not having an alternative to look forward to. Enjoy your job/career, get excited about being around the people you’ve chosen to be in your life, have plans/goals/dreams that you’re working at, and most importantly like who you are. That last one can be tough, but getting to know and accept yourself makes choosing your alternative to drinking much easier to do.

Grow. As a person, as a part of a social group, spiritually, mentally, physically, etc. Find things to learn about, work through recovery material, go to therapy, make friends, work out, the list is endless. I found a lot of people in early recovery truly had no idea who they even were or what their favorite color even was. The people who made big turnarounds and stuck with it are the ones who never stopped wanting to grow. No matter where you are at in life, there is always something to grow in.

Most importantly, baby steps forward are still steps forward. You don’t end up climbing a mountain in one gigantic leap, and you don’t change over night. Small changes done consistently over time can yield nearly exponential results. Don’t give up if things go badly, the most human thing to do is to mess up. Everyone does, everyone will. The most important thing is what you do afterward, continue forward or not.

I don’t know you, but I believe in you. Just know that there are people who care that you do well and accept you even if you don’t.

And now it’s playing on a loop in my head. I’m not even mad about it.

Ol’ wing wings mucking everything up.

+1 for IDLES

Roto-zip could work well like the other poster said. If you don’t have access to one, you can also use the abrasive sanding bits for the dremel, you may chew through a couple, but they work in a pinch.