I'll be answering questions as long as you're all asking them, even if you totally thread necro and comment in weeks or months.
NSFW questions are allowed, I'll flag the thread NSFW if I get them.
Has it been difficult to find medical professionals who are competent and compassionate?
Unbelievably difficult, actually. I've had a lot of issues with gatekeeping and just generally doctors having no idea what they're even looking at. A few years back, a doctor described an MRI of my torso as "like looking at an alien," which I still think is absolutely batshit insane.
My heart condition was likely exacerbated to a point that it became a problem after getting put on Strattera for ADHD as a kid, and nobody seemed to wonder if there might be other reasons why it remained a significant problem after I stopped taking it. Nobody looked into why I had osteoporosis as a child, either. And both of my parents are doctors, so you'd think they'd know better.
The actual solution to pretty much all my problems was Hormone Replacement Therapy, like trans women get. I had basically no hormones in my system at all, which was the primary driver for my health issues.
I mean, I had no testosterone in my system, either. I kinda just felt a void and not a lot of emotions. Now it's kinda like things being turned up to 11, or watching an HDR nature documentary when you're used to normal colours. Still not a big fan of kids, but they are cute from time to time.
You are extremely cool. Trauma or flashy life events don't make someone cool. What's cool is what's inside. And what's inside you is a great sense of humour!
Yeahhhhh... This is a big problem. I have a severe and debilitating phobia of needles and blood, which makes it basically impossible for me to do blood work. This has resulted in every fucking doctor going "oh, cool. Not a problem, here's a month your hormones, we won't need to do any bloodwork any time soon." Then when I make a second appointment to get a refill, or just request a refill, they go "oh hey, time for bloodwork, or you're not getting pills. I know you waited til the last minute because I did explicitly say that it wouldn't be needed for at least a year or two, and you did get that in writing, but I don't care! Bloodwork or no pills, heehee!" Which results in me lapsing on my medication I'll slowly die without having, leaving me to find a new doctor every fuckin' three months or try and fail to not punch a phlebotomist in the face while I have a meltdown panic attack and scream so much they think I'm dying the second they bust out an alcohol wipe. I don't need bloodwork. My levels are fucking fine. They're always fine. Nothing has changed in 3 years.
It's pretty hellish and I'm dealing with it yet again.
What did you go for a PhD in if you don't mind me asking? What do you plan on doing with it?
I got a PhD in political science. I initially wanted to be a professor, but the way every school and every university has handled the pandemic has me running like hell from academia. I'm definitely not gonna be a talking head or pundit, so I guess my only other option if I wanna stop doing office jobs is to start a youtube channel, lmao.
Will do. Kinda actually thinking about being a Vtuber. That sounds fun, and I can maybe steal some people away from idiots like Hasan or Vaush with the magic of 2d booba.
IKR? I just have no idea how to commission a model. I think they're kinda expensive, and I just don't have the cash for that yet. Still furnishing my apartment, and my fiancee doesn't have a job yet and is moving in at the end of this month.
You 100% should go for it! I'm sure lots of our comrades would enjoy it.
Is it possible for me to go for a PHD political science when my bachelors was in a stem field? I'm in a grad program now in Design but this isn't doing it for me and i don't want to have to spend 4 years on a bachelors.
Yeah, totally. My bachelors was in Library Science, which has nothing to do with Politics at all, haha. Having said that, PoliSci is super nerdy, and 90% of what they're gonna teach you is nonsense wrong neolib/neocon shit.
I make these bagel sandwiches with a sunny side up egg, bacon, cheese, and this sort of ghetto hollandaise sauce made from about a 7:1 ratio of mayonnaise and mustard with a bit of dill mixed in. I'd upload a photo, but idk how to do that in a comment, and I don't wanna link it anywhere that doesn't strip metadata.
If you want the world's most janky image hosting you can go into create post, upload the image, copy the url it generates and put it in the comment. We strip metadata as well!
eh, nobody's really abusing it and its kinda handy. for me it's a good piece of mind knowing how whatever I upload is handled
upload photo to imgur or whatev, direct link in comment with [descriptive text for hyperlink](hyperlink.goes.here/foodproduct.jpeg)
edit: you can also post the image in the food comm and then drop link to that post/image here
This is definitely not a normal thing, but basically, my heart condition and other issues were caused by equal parts medication side effects from Strattera and having just no sex hormones at all in my body. So, taking estrogen and progesterone, pretty much the same as trans women do, helped me recover from pretty much everything that ailed me.
You're probably fine, just get an EKG/ECG every so often and don't smoke or vape anything, and you'll be fine.
It can increase the chance of heart palpitations and other cardiovascular issues further. Basically, it's good to avoid having multiple things that increase your risk factor for that, especially things that aren't medically necessary. It's why trans women on HRT shouldn't smoke or vape either.
Honestly, the best methods I know for studying are
- Set a specific, dedicated space and time free of distractions which will be repeatable. This makes it a habit.
- Don't just read and try to memorise. To actually understand the material, writing it out or explaining it to another person with no knowledge of the subject seems to work best for a lot of people. You won't remember it rote, but having multiple ways of explaining the concept works really well. I have learned more by teaching than by studying, 100%
- TALK TO YOUR TEACHER AFTER CLASS! Seriously, even if you're not having an issue, make use of those office hours, you'll wish you had if you skip it. We're there to help you, and we want you to learn and succeed. We'd much rather have a student that really needs and comes to us for help rather than one that usually knows what they're doing but doesn't approach when they stumble. Professor office hours aren't just an unrealistic porn plot, they're a great way to learn the material better than you would otherwise, even just by having it explained a different way.
- Take breaks. 15 minutes every hour is good, but you can flex that up or down depending on your needs and how focused you are that day. When you take a break, I recommend not just fucking around on the internet. If you're able to, do some exercise or go for a walk!
Joke answer that's kinda not a joke. Clear your mind by getting off about 15-20 mins before you study. Ace people, you probably already have a clear head, otherwise do some meditation or something that helps you clear your mind and calm yourself physically. Seriously, it actually helps to sort of get out any sort of wiggles or distractions and helps you really take in the material. Plus it makes studying more fun.
Shit, I cannot help at all with either of these. I'm about as much of a domme as they come, and I'm as lesbian as they get. We don't really do the whole top bottom thing in the sense most people think of. I guess just, have a spine, don't let tops make all the decisions, and be sure that they prioritise you having a good time at least as much as they prioritise their good time. Also, I hear people don't like dead fishes. I've never fucked a fish, so idk whether it being alive is any better, but pillow princesses that just sit there and moan aren't my type. Show initiative and be eager. Be an active participant in sex, rather than letting sex happen to you, I guess.
I also don't know shit about makeup, I'm kinda soft butch. What I will say is that, just like with painting, it's all about the undercoat, or the canvas. Skin care is truly the most critical foundation for makeup. Also, give a shit about your hair. Figure out what texture your hair has and take care of it the right way!
Also, don't forget to shave your ass. Nobody likes a hairy ass.
Nah, I don't even bottom and I do it cause body hair feels weird to me. I guess if you're outside and sweaty at work it might be weird, but nah. It's not at all something that causes it.
Chiming in with my ass hair experience: Shaving the hair on the cheeks can make you really prone to in-growns, so I recommend just using an electric trimmer there. When it comes to the hair in the crack my preferred solution is to use an epilator. This can hurt quite a bit the first couple of times and some of the angles are tough, but it lasts longer than shaving and never gives me an itchy butthole like shaving does.
Other options include creams like Nair or Magic Shave Powder which last longer and give smoother results than shaving, but you do have to be careful of burning yourself. I have never tried waxing, professional or at-home, but I imagine that it'd be similar effectiveness to epilating, but faster and therefore a bit less painful.
Personally, I don't have a lot of body hair, but I just remove what I have always. I'm weird about it.
So why the PhD in PoliSci?
Was it purely to get into academics/teaching or do you have an interest/passion for politics as well?
Did your health stuff set you back at all, time wise, or did this happen before/after getting your educatin' done?
I have a pretty significant interest in politics, particularly in terms of theory and dynamics, which were my primary fields of study. I have a notable anarchist bent, which leans towards Communalism. Big Apo stan, over here. I definitely disagree with Bookchin on nuclear power, though. It's genuinely the only way forward for the foreseeable future.
Health stuff wasn't really a setback, in fact, it kind of motivated me to move quickly, in the hopes that I could get a degree, get out, and make a difference before I beefed it hard. Y'know, get a little activist work in and teach people some stuff before I pass on. That's no longer an issue, apparently, and I feel a lot more free to spend time in more relaxed ways. I've stepped back from activism a lot and have pursued romantic relationships, which I'd always figured I didn't have time for. Candle that burns a quarter as long better burn four times brighter, or what's the point? I got my bachelor's and PhD each in 3 years, rather than the traditional 4. (Though 5 years is becoming more common)
I got the first signs of things improving after starting on hormones, where my bone density started improving to a point where my main hobbies, rock climbing and sailing, were no longer a significant risk I just handwaved away as "oh well, if I die a year or two early, it's only a year or two." Having been told I wouldn't see thirty motivated me to live fast and die hard, I guess. My heart started improving rapidly after that, with an ekg in early summer 2019 giving me a full all clear, shortly after I got my PhD.
You’re telling me you climbed, sailed, PhD’d and damn near died all at once? How the hell are there enough hours in the day? Super impressive
Honestly, I'd only get to go sailing during the summers when I had a lighter course load. I didn't take off during summers, just went at like 12 credits instead of my normal 20-23, and was able to sail. After classes, before studying or once I was student teaching in the summer/fall of 2019, before office hours, I'd go climbing at an indoor rock climbing place near campus. On Saturdays, my weekend day (Shabbot, didn't study or do classes that day), I'd go climb for like 8 hours or so through the fall winter and spring, as it was too cold to sail on one of the Great Lakes the city I was studying in was on. (don't wanna be more specific for anonymity), or I'd go sailing at the community sailing centre for a few hours then climb an hour with friends before dinner.
I used to be able to go up a bit under 1 foot per second on a climbing peg board. Ten foot board in 13 seconds. I had abs! I don't anymore. :C I miss them.
Nah, I haven't been in a while. Between covid, and moving to the middle of nowhere, flatland prairie, there's not a lot of actual rocks to climb, nor are there any indoor climbing places, here.
There's a lot I don't know about poli sci but what do you say I should learn right now and other wisdoms you could give to us. Sorry if vague also maybe if you could give the best books in your field you swear by.
Not to be that nerd that tells you to read theory, but honestly, it's very interesting to read, at least to me. I always recommend reading Abdullah Öcalan's Democratic Confederalism, Rawls' A Theory of Justice, and Nozick's Anarchy, State, and Utopia (though that last one is wild as fuck sort of centrist libertarian shit, absolutely wild minarchist fluff that thinks any form of government is bad. Don't read to agree, it's just a wild fuckin' ride).
Also see Smedley Butler's War is a Racket and I recommend any of the books on the Business Plot. I haven't read The Plot to Seize the White House: The Shocking True Story of the Conspiracy to Overthrow FDR by Jules Archer, but it seems like a good and approachable introduction to the topic.
Thanks comrade and please be that nerd. With my internet access, e reader on phone and free time want to get through more books so I can be smart too.
I mean, the more authcom leftists would ask you to read State and Revolution, but I'm not personally a huge fan of a lot of Lenin's specifics, beyond his thoughts on electoralism and a few aspects of revolutionary politics. Personally, I'd rather you read The Conquest of Bread or Bookchin's The Next Revolution.
Got Bookchin and bread. Will take me a while but since you swear by these I know they worth it. Thanks again comrade.
Almost all of these books can be found for free online, as well, as quite a few are older. You're very welcome, and thank you for reading, comrade!
A friend of mine was assigned to read Nozick at uni. It was some sort of political philosophy class and the furthest left thing they taught was Milton Friedman. I was like, what is this absolute garbage propaganda ass class. Thankfully he hated it, so we can remain friends.
That sounds like hell. Nozick is a perfect "laugh at this moron, and be horrified that people are this batshit" type of thing.
Other wisdoms, try frozen custard if you never have. It's like the best possible ice cream. It's worth it even if you're lactose intolerant.
I'll see about trying this frozen custard then. Always need some thing to snack on when going over books, also downloaded those books you recommended :rosa-salute:
What gave you the motivation to push through it despite how hard it must’ve been to finish your PhD? Asking for my partner bc they are about to enter a grad program after the summer and we’re looking for all the advice we can get :blob-help:
I mean, the biggest thing that's unique to me was having a hard time constraint, being told I won't see 30, which really led to me focusing to a probably hazardous and obsessive level. I'm also kind of a naturally very focused person, when it comes to task completion.
In general, I'd say the biggest thing for your partner to think about is what motivates them. Why do they want a PhD? Is it just for a job that pays more money? If so, that's a goal right there. Do they have a specific reason they're looking for it? Like a specific career path they want to take? If it's purely for the academic accomplishment, that's super respectable too. When they get there, they can put the Dr. on every fuckin' signature. Get out there and be like "Oh I'm not thaaaat kind of doctor!" I believe in your partner. I did it, and so can they! So can everyone! ...as long as they take out some student loans they intend to never repay.
Also, fuck the dissertation defense process. It sucks, it's just one of those things you gotta do. :(
So, I think I have a milder case of ADHD than most people do, and probably shouldn't have ever been put on medication for it. It mostly results in me being hyperfocused on activities I care about. With regards to keeping my focus on activities I dislike when my mind is wandering, I make very small, short term goals with timers, like if I'm writing a paper or academic journal article or something, I'll set very very short goals like "finish this paragraph and then I get 2 minutes of fuck around time." Almost like micro-task management to keep me going for a few minutes at a time all the time.
Any life advice? Just generally I guess, and also I want to study politics in September so anything related to that too would be cool
Public policy is ok. International Relations is cool as hell, but every IR wonk I've ever met is a moron. Theory is full of a million losers including yours truly, and Slavoj Žižek, the only cool political theorist alive, who we all aspire to be. Every economist is either based as hell or a bowtie wearing booger eater who jerks off to Milton Friedman.
We're all nerds, and we will all eat each other alive. Don't take any of your professors too seriously, think of the degree as opposition research on the insanity that is neoliberalism.
