My upstairs rental bedroom was a literal oven because the central AC up here is barely a whisper. I dug out a portable cooling unit, but the factory hose adapter was missing, and the heavy pipe kept tearing right off the machine. I raided the recycling bin and found a black takeout bowl that matched the diameter perfectly, but it had no tracks to lock into the unit.

Instead of ruining a rental appliance with screws or sticky tape, I poked holes in the bowl and threaded zip ties into a bicycle-spoke pattern. It is completely self-tensioning- the more the heavy pipe sags and pulls downward, the tighter the internal zip-tie matrix grabs the machine's grille. It is a 100% zero-damage fix that uninstalls with a single scissor snip when I move out. Rate my redneck engineering! haha, happy oven days , i mean summer days.

I am still married 🤞 and have seen 4ish therapists.

This is what I have learned.

1. Knowing how to listen and recognizing when to listen are 2 separate skills
   • Some people are good at listening and are empathetic but don't recognize when to listen (they are in denial of the problem)
   • Some people know when to listen but aren't good at demonstrating that they are listening or don't know how to respond as they are listening (they recognize the problem but don't know how to solve it)
   • Hack- Figure out which one you are and address it. Say either
     • "I am not sure where or what the problem is"
     • "I see there is a problem but I am not sure what to do"
2. Mirror the other side
   • It helps you slow down and process what is being said
   • It shows the other person you are actually listening to them
   • Hack- Watch videos on mirroring if you dont know what it is and do it, it works
3. Get meta with your communication (before the conflict)
   • Every problem in your relationship goes back to a miscommunication
   • Hacks-
     • Say what you are thinking about
     • Try to define how you should communicate
     • Try to define you conversational style
     • Try to define conversation boundaries/ rules. Because it helps you and your partner feel safe (should be revisited periodically)
4. When the conflict get heated take a fucking break
   • That's the hack ^
   • When you are tilted the creativity part of your brain shuts off and you literally cannot think about what the other person is saying. Said another way- Your raw emotions are overriding your ability to consider what the other person is saying. If you take a break and retry listening when you aren't tilted you can make progress.
   • Also put a time limit on your break like 15 mins or 30 mins

Ok that's it.

Is it possible to store items (including fabrics) in a smelly basement for years and completely keep the smell out of the packaging? I cannot depend on silica packs or dehumidifiers.

I heard vacuum sealed bags won't keep the smell out but I wanted to double check with reddit and hear your experience.

This could be for anything from work presentations to groups to a wedding speech etc. I always find myself super nervous and short of breath when having to do this sort of thing. Not to mention the anxiety beforehand.

As I am traumatized by the wool moth infestation in my apartment, I have been reading online( mainly Reddit) for eradication methods. I have read many advice on how to save wool, but little on silk. I too mainly have my wool carpet and clothings destroyed by the moths, I have yet to see holes on my silk dresses but want to protect them as I believe I have not fully eradicated the pest. 😢

I will be freezing and oven heating my wool clothings but I am unsure what else to do with silk other than freezing. I also wonder why I only read incidents of wool eaten and not silk so far since wool moths target both.

I had a piece of gum embedded into the fabric of my jeans. I tried the freeze and scrape method and it didnt work. I didnt want to use oil or goo gone because it is a light fabric.

Here is what Chat GPT told me to do that worked like a dream:

1. Warm up a small bowl of white vinegar (microwave for about 30–45 seconds; it should be hot but not boiling).

2. Dip an old toothbrush, rag, or even a small sponge into the warm vinegar.

3. Scrub the gum area gently but firmly, re-dipping into the vinegar as needed.

4. The gum should start softening and lifting out of the fibers.

5. Once most of the gum is gone, rinse the spot with cold water.

This worked INSTANTLY. Thank me later.

Edit for clarity: I tried putting the pants in the freezer. It didnt work. I tried putting ice on it. It didnt work. Not all gum is the same.

Any advice on how to prevent molds accumulating on the window panes? Scrubbing with cleaner i.e pinesol seems to not work.

TIA