conuly | Now, when we first got Moonpie, she hated the cold

She would not go outside on walkies if it was cold out. Or if you dragged her out, she'd refuse to walk and would certainly refuse to pee.

This year she's acclimated properly and walks out bright and cheerful and tail wagging the whole time. (And yes. She potties.)

Good girl, Moonpie!

As it's getting chilly out, we'd better make some shelters for the feral porch cat (Lola) and also Sweetheart, whom we still haven't rehomed. It's easy enough to do!

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

chanter1944

*snugglies the fuzzies, both canine and feline*

From:

conuly

Moonpie needs some snuggles. I caught her curled up by the back door. I'm glad she's willing to go on walks in the cold, but she's a chihuahua! She should not be sleeping in our drafty hallway by our drafty back door where there is no heat! Poor dog was shivering as I brought her up. Silly creature.

From:

chanter1944

Awww, baby. *cuddles her* Now, when a lab shivers (see icon for who I mean), you *know* it's dang cold! Or the pavement is dang cold. Often both. I felt like *such* a jerk when we were out walking around and that happened... Got inside as quick as I could, for the sniffery fuzzball's sake.

Hi Sweetheart random tortie lovebug. *pets* Is she purring yet?

From:

conuly

Purring and still sneaking into the house. Next week I *will* go down to the van. It's close enough again.

From:

chanter1944

One, awww. Two, oops! XD If I were only in NYC and had your stamp of adoption approval... Ah well. Hi purring tortie kittygirl. :)

From:

moem

I read that 'menstrual liberation' article through MetaFilter, and it's cool. I love my cup and I very much wish I'd have learned about cups about 10 years earlier!

Edited (I can't rite good) Date: 2017-11-12 01:12 pm (UTC)

From:

conuly

At least you found about them now!

From:

moem

Almost ten years ago. And they're SUCH a help, it's incredible. That was a life changer for me, for sure!

From:

siderea

Yeah? They sound really inconvenient to me. No?

From:

conuly

Noooooooooooo.

Well, no more inconvenient than other forms of menstrual protection, and a lot less inconvenient than most. No more having to get up every hour in the middle of the night and still waking up with bloody sheets! No more gushing feeling every time I stand up! No more tampons either filling up in three seconds, or awkwardly staying dry up there for an hour while all the blood comes out anyway (why did this happen? why???) No more emergency trips to the drugstore. No more cats pulling things out of the garbage to play with. No more nagging thoughts about the environment.

From:

siderea

I've never experienced any of these except emergency trips to the drugstore and nagging thoughts about the environment, and I haven't had to make an emergency trip to the drug store for menstrual supplies in ages. I'm mostly down to nagging thoughts about the environment.

You seem to be confusing effectiveness for convenience; your list of things is not more convenient for someone who finds other forms of menstrual protection completely effective.

So, no, having more tupperware to have to wash doesn't seem more convenient.

Wait, I may have a fundamental misunderstanding, in which case I apologize. Are resuables just for people for whom tampons and pads and diaphragms just don't work well? Is their value proposition, "Yes, they're a hassle, but less than scrubbing blood out of all your clothes and bedclothes"?

Edited Date: 2017-11-13 05:09 am (UTC)

From:

conuly

Well, no, they're for everybody who prefers them - but it's true that in my case, tampons don't work well and while cloth pads are necessary (sposies make me itch), they're not quite sufficient on their own the first few days. I have a seriously, seriously, seriously heavy flow.

So, no, having more tupperware to have to wash doesn't seem more convenient.

It's not that much washing. A little soap and water at the beginning and end of my period, and whenever I shower (because why not). If I'm not in a public bathroom I prefer to rinse thoroughly after emptying it, but even that's not strictly necessary.

Some people prefer to boil theirs, I get that, but it's not generally required.

From:

siderea

I have a seriously, seriously, seriously heavy flow.

O_O I am duly impressed. But with a flow like that, how does the menstrual cup keep up? How often do you have to empty it? And what do you do about being in a public restroom?

ETA: and why doesn't it have to be cleaned several times a day? What about TSS? That sounds seriously unhygenic and unsafe.

Edited Date: 2017-11-13 05:20 am (UTC)

From:

conuly

Every hour during the day for comfort, but I can go a bit longer than that at night - up to three or four hours. And I just empty it and possibly bring a water bottle with me to dump water over it. (Though, to be honest, during the first two days of my period I stick to home as much as possible precisely to avoid this situation. It is a very heavy flow those days, and then it's just very little for the next five.)

ETA: and why doesn't it have to be cleaned several times a day? What about TSS? That sounds seriously unhygenic and unsafe.

TSS is caused by tampons because they're so absorbent. Cups don't absorb anything, so they're less likely to cause microabrasions, so you're significantly less likely to get sick.

Actually, to my knowledge there haven't been any cases of TSS associated with menstrual cups at all. They are safe to keep in up till 12 hours, or possibly longer though nobody is going to sign off on that.

You should still wash your hands before emptying your cup or inserting/removing a tampon, and most people do prefer to wash their cup with soap more often (and even to boil it), though that does cause some logistical issues when out and about. (Then on the flip side you get people who claim they pee on it because urine is sterile, which is just gross. I don't care if it IS sterile, which it isn't once it's outside the body, it's just gross.)

From:

moem

Oh no, I find them so much more convenient. The capacity (2 to 3 tampons' worth) means I only have to deal with mine in the morning (when I'm showering anyway) and in the evening. And if I do need to deal with it in a public toilet, which is rare, I can just tip it over in the toilet and put it back in.

Plus, they're very comfortable to me, meaning that I can't feel my cup at all and there's no remaining dryness afterwards, even if it turns out I'm not actively bleeding anymore.

The fact that you can wear a cup when you may or may not be needing it is a lifesaver for me now that I'm in perimenopause and my periods aren't always predictable anymore.

Sorry to write a novel! The bottom line is, I use my cup because I simply like it better than pads or tampons. :-)

From:

author_by_night

Sadly, the statistics for arrest don't surprise me. And of course race is also a factor.

Law Enforcement needs to be trained on how to deal with people who have disabilities. I've heard of so many tragic misunderstandings that could've been avoided if LE had given some consideration to the matter. We also need to be more understanding as a society, and not assume all disabilities are "visible" or that people will all react a certain way.

From:

conuly

No, they don't surprise me either.

LE needs to be trained to de-escalate. They do it in other places, but here... sheesh.

From:

randomdreams

The first week we had Monty, after adopting her, she'd go all day refusing to pee, and then finally pee when I took her outside well away from the house. (Or she'd sneak downstairs and pee somewhere hidden.)
Once she got used to us, the house, and our routine, now she happily uses the back yard, or wherever we're walking.
I think a lot of that is comfort/vulnerability, like they're trying to hide their presence in an unfamiliar territory for fear they may risk the wrath of the ruling pack.

From:

conuly

I'm glad she doesn't wait all day anymore!

Both our doggies were the other way - when we first got them, they were pee-tastic as soon as they left the house. Gotta mark 'em all!

Now they hold it in a bit better and I can go two dang feet.

Edited Date: 2017-11-12 05:54 pm (UTC)

From:

the_future_modernes

the bully and the buddhist link was really cool. thank you.

From:

conuly

: )

From:

archersangel

isn't cursive writing still required for signatures on legal documents & so forth? would that change if they don't teach it any more?

From:

conuly

Cursive writing has never been required for signatures. This is just something they tell 8 year olds so they won't complain about having to learn it. Your signature can be in print, it can be an x, it can be a stamp-mark - just so long as you habitually do it the same way, it's your signature.

From:

archersangel

huh. i didn't know that.
in someone else's blog where they were taking about a similar story, a commenter said that in the '70s they had bad cursive writing so they never used it for a signature. when they went to open their first bank account, the manager refused to give them the account until they could sign things in cursive. so they had to practice for a few weeks to sign "properly."
that manager must've grown up in the '30s & '40s when teachers were very insistent on kids learning that stuff.

From:

conuly

There are storeowners who legitimately believe that the health department forbids bare feet in stores. (Write to them and ask!) There are parents who legitimately believe there is a "special chemical" you can put in pools that reveals when people have peed themselves. Reason 1243 not to lie to your kids.

From:

larryhammer

Pie Town is on one of the alternative routes to my parents, and we stop there every so often. It's not as convenient a stop as Quemado, the next town down the road, though. (And there's no nearby camping, unlike Quemado and the nearest town in the other direction, Datil.)

The pies aren't bad, though. We should take TBD there some trip. (Likely reaction: "What the HECK?")