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I know how you feel. Mother's day recently passed and it was rough on me. I lost my mother at age 12. If you ever need somebody to vent to or just relate to, I'm here. We don't know each other but that's okay with me. We still share something very intimate.


I won't tell you that I won't have money to get him ANYTHING. I will do whatever I can do whether that be make him a card or build something by hand. He will not go without during this holiday. However, gifts are always nice and I'm sure he'd love it! My entire life, my father has been dedicated to Nascar. Ever since I can remember, we've been going to races together. As a kid, the only thing I was ever interested in was the noises and whatever driver my father (or mother while she was alive) was rooting for. As I've grown older, I learned to appreciate Nascar for what it is. I know it's an unpopular opinion and most people can't stand it but please understand that races are what he lives for and it's a way for him to bond with whoever he brings and genuinely enjoy his life, something he feels like he doesn't get to do often.


Anyway, my father got me into it, of course. Jimmy Johnson is my guy, Jeff Gordon was his, Dale Earnhardt was my mother's. When I started working at the same company as he does (FedEx), they offered Nascar tickets to the Dover, DE race (which was 3 days ago) for $11 and he bought me a ticket. We went and we had the time of our lives, throwing every care and worry out of the window even if just for a day. Being able to see my father in that state is what makes me happy. In turn, I'd like to be able to get him a gift that relates in some way to Nascar. Not the cheap cars you can get at Walmart that he already has 1000 of but something with some meaning. Maybe something he can look at and it just takes him down memory lane, spreading a huge grin across his face every time he looks at it.


If you're a fan of Nascar, you'd know that Jeff Gordon has retired (though he is now announcing for Nascar). As I mentioned, that's his favorite driver. I found the perfect gift he'd definitely cherish for the rest of his life!


Thank you for taking me into consideration and Happy Father's Day (when it comes, though thank you for doing what you do all year round!) to all of the amazing father's out there. And thank you personally for doing this, I think it's wonderful.



Gift

Hi again, OP! How is your search going? I had a few more tips and some links to share, if you are still seeking. :)

1. My first advice would be that you not buy anything called "gold overlay" or "plated" or "vermeil." All of those words mean that it is gold, but it's over silver, and it will wear off (often quite rapidly), and the ring will look terrible and cheap. If you can't afford a yellow gold one (which tends to be expensive), go with silver, because it looks just like platinum and white gold to most people, and nobody's going to get out their chemical set and test it. Many silver sets are quite gorgeous!
   
   Here are some examples of silver and white sapphire rings from Overstock (sign up for extra 10% off):
   
   

• http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Watches/Miadora-Sterling-Silver-1-6ct-TDW-Black-Diamond-and-White-Sapphire-Ring/5955224/product.html?refccid=NDNIO6VOSNO2ZLCGVXX4BVGGZU&searchidx=2
  
  
• http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Watches/Miadora-Silver-White-Sapphire-and-1-5ct-TDW-Black-Diamond-Ring-Set/7885874/product.html?refccid=NORNBALUOSX2CK2L25YUJOAF3U&searchidx=10
  
  What I really like about that last one is that it is a set. A rookie mistake that people make is buying a really pretty ring (like the first one, that has some outer detailing on it), and then it is hard to find a band that will fit with it when you get married. This set is only around $85 for both, and they are made to fit together. So that might be worth including in your search ("wedding sets" rather than "engagement rings"). How it works is you still give her the engagement ring, then when you get married, you already have the ring that you add to it at the ceremony.
  
  

2. Some have suggested CZ stones (cubic zirconia, known by other names such as Diamondite, etc.). These are sometimes now pretty close to the same price as smaller diamonds for a good set, and so only you can tell if your girlfriend will be upset with a "fake" stone or not. Personally I have never owned a real diamond, and I am quite happy with CZ, not only for the price, but because I tend to be VERY hard on rings: when you lose a CZ stone, it's a lot less traumatic than losing a diamond. :)
   
   One option here might be (if you don't think it would upset her) to get a CZ that is in a lovely setting, and then later (if she cares about this sort of thing) you can have it reset with a real diamond for your 5th or 10th anniversary. There are things you can do to get creative on a budget, it what I'm saying. :)
   
   Here's a lovely set in sterling for under $100:
   
   

• http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Watches/Sterling-Silver-Princess-Cubic-Zirconia-Antique-Bridal-style-Ring-Set/7308264/product.html?refccid=QJR3GD5QGXDYVTSMZSXJEHRI7A&searchidx=122
  
  

3. Colored stones are another good option, especially if she likes them. If she's never mentioned it, then see #4. To find these, what you want to search is "gemstone rings" - that will get you all the colored ones. Here's a colored stone with silver that comes in a 3 different colors to choose from (black, white, blue), but you can get pinks, greens, reds - the gamut:
   
   

• http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Watches/M-by-Miadora-Sterling-Silver-Black-Spinel-or-White-Sapphire-Ring/7260322/product.html?refccid=OOXBXZNPBAAJTE2EFHCJTSQTEQ&searchidx=10
  
  (For the wedding band for that ring, you could do a simple silver band on one or both sides, or what is called an "eternity band" on one or both sides - like this:)
  
  
• http://www.overstock.com/Jewelry-Watches/Icz-Stonez-Sterling-Silver-Cubic-Zirconia-Eternity-Band-Ring/8111022/product.html?searchidx=2
  
  

4. With the surprise element in mind, you could still just go ring shopping with her and get some ideas. I know you don't want to give it away, but just go to the mall in general, stop at lots of places just to look, and make one of them a ring shop. You don't have to buy from there at any point, this is just an expedition so you can get a feel for what sorts of rings she likes (I doubt she will have any trouble letting you know!). :)
   
   
5. Finally, if she really wants gold, and she really wants diamond, a clever search can STILL net you things that will work! Here is a 10k white or yellow gold with real diamonds for around $100:
   
   

• http://www.amazon.com/Carat-Diamond-Ladies-Engagement-Promise/dp/B00OP5K92A/ref=sr_1_3?s=apparel&ie=UTF8&qid=1417975590&sr=1-3&keywords=gold+band+solitaire
  
  Good luck to you!

Great advice about the Rebel, I've heard good things. Myself, I'm in the Nikon camp.

I bought a used D70 off CraigsList for $200 and a new 50mm lens from Amazon for $130. Buying a used body is scary, since I knew nothing. I took a photographer friend with me to handle the gear before I threw down the cash. It sounds like you may not have that resource available, but CraigsList can be a great outlet for gear once you're comfortable!

I had a tragic day roll around where I lost my D70, so I bought a new Nikon D3200:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007VGGHW6/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Comes with a kit lens, it works, takes wonderful photos and video as well.

/u/bramsey89 has a lovely portfolio but do note that they're all pretty heavily post-processed. That was the hardest thing for me. When I first started playing with my camera I came to my photographer friend in tears.

"My pictures look like shit!! Yours always look so good, what am I doing wrong?!"

And she asks me, "Well, what are you doing after you take the picture?"

"Nothing."

And she laughed at me, in a "oh bless her heart" kind of way and took one of my photos and played with it and it's beautiful.

So play with them both! Once you pick a team, that's your team! Really, from my experience and my conversations with folks, the differences between Canon and Nikon come down to how the camera feels and the menu setup.

Also, Costco has great packages for cameras and you can buy SquareTrade warranties after the fact. I bought my Nikon 3200 off Amazon, but Costco had a package which included the camera, the kit lens, a zoom lens, bag, memory card and book for $800 or so.


Good luck!! The best part? If all my stuff looks awful, because I'm still learning, I just delete it and move on. =)

Behavioral genetics, as a mainstream, scientific field, is showing that nearly all behavioral and personality traits are significantly influenced by genes See: Quillette – Heritability and why Parents (but not Parenting) Matter, written by Brian Boutwell and Razib Khan. This part just simply isn’t disputable. But given that it is true, it does entail that basically every policy is going to have either “eugenic” or “dysgenic” impacts, because for basically any policy, you can say that it’s either helping to improve the frequency of beneficial (or harmful) traits, or else doing the opposite.

So to my mind, “Eugenics” is pretty much a useless term. People use it to encompass everything from Nazi pseudoscience that had nothing to do strictly with improving human genetics per se–much less out of any humanitarian spirit–to liberal eugenics policies (See: Liberal Eugenics: In Defence of Human Enhancement, by Nicholas Agar) that never involve any sort of coercive force.

Speaking of “liberal eugenics,” that is a modern term and in that phrase’s usage “liberal” essentially means “non–coercive” rather than “on the left–wing side of the political spectrum”, but the sort of “fascist,” coercive policies you probably have in mind were actually pioneered by the leftists of the 20th century. See: Illiberal Reformers: Race, Eugenics, and American Economics in the Progressive Era, by Thomas C. Leonard. Those policies were not in any way, shape, or form unique to Nazi Germany; liberal countries like Sweden actually had more “eugenics” policies than Germany—see: Eugenics and the Third Reich, By Stephen B. Saetz, Marian Van Court, and Mark W. Henshaw. And worldwide, it was the political Left—who believed in the ultimate perfectibility of mankind, and the capacity of wise legislators to advance it through the coercive power of the State, just as innocently as they do in things like education and healthcare and welfare and gun control and so forth today—who pushed and advanced those policies.

In any case, I do support what in the modern terminology is called “liberal eugenics”: to the extent that I believe the depression I’ve experienced is in large part caused by genes, and to the extent that I feel I have a responsibility to make sure my children don’t experience it, and that I believe that could be achieved as if not more effectively through gene therapy as through social policy, I’m a believer in something that could be loosely labeled “eugenics”, sure.

As far as “white supremacy”, I’m 1/4th Lebanese Christian, and the last significant relationship I had before my wife was with a journalist from Pakistan who personally knew family members who had been blown up by U.S. drones. Razib Khan, co–author of the post I opened this comment with, is another Pakistani scientist whose discussions led me to the perspectives I hold today (I’m also friends with him on his personal Facebook account). Another of my favorite examples is JayMan [link], who happens to be of Jamaican origin, who discusses policies like maternity leave in the context of “eugenics” – namely, he makes the point that making it so that conscientious high–IQ women don’t have to decide between having children and pursuing a career means we’d get the long–term benefit of having more conscientious, smart children populating the next generation.

If supporting policies like maternity leave because I want smart women to be encouraged to have more smart children makes me a “eugenicist”, so be it. If wanting to prevent my children from inheriting my worst traits, and being open to gene therapy as the best means towards that end makes me a “eugenicist”, so be it. If agreeing with a Pakistani and a Jamaican whose writings I consider even more interesting and influential than my own makes me a “white supremacist”, so be it. But absolutely none of this has anything to do with thinking white people are ‘better’ (by what metric? Jews have even higher IQs, East Asians are even less prone to violence, ...) or wanting to cause any sort of harm to non–white people.

I'm the 2nd of four daughters... but my dad has never shown even the slightest hint of disappointment that none of us where boys. He worked long hours as a truck driver for 30+ years, often leaving at 3 or 4 in the morning for long days on the road... but would always let my sisters and I take turns going with to keep him company. I used to love spending time with my dad on those trips, singing along to the radio, talking on the CB, eating out at truck stops and coffee houses and getting to choose a snack whenever we stopped to refuel. His friends (the other drivers) would tease him for always "babysitting" on the road and I vividly remember my dad's response: "It's not babysitting, it's called 'parenting'. When's the last time any of you even saw your kids?" They were always shut down by that.

On his days off my dad took us all camping, taught me to fish, build and race RC cars and swear like.. well, a trucker! When I was 14-ish, he was going to teach me to drive... but an on-the-job injury left him in a coma. That was a scary time. I just remember going to school every day like a zombie, going through the motions. Then one day my math teacher got a call during class and said "ObviouslyAnnie, grab your stuff and go to the office. It's about your dad." I remember thinking "OMG. This is it. He's dead." and breaking down crying, shaking and hyperventilating in class... and all the way across the campus to the office.

But he wasn't dead. He had actually woken from the coma! ...Which was a short-lived relief because he had lost a huge amount of memory, didn't know who my sisters and I were and had a very different (angry, agressive) personality. He also had developed a seizure condition that resulted in him losing his commercial license... which was a huge part of who he felt he "was".

I'm happy to report that his memory... and personality... even his ability to drive (although he'll never drive a commercial vehicle again... slowly returned over the years and his seizures have become more predictable. Those early years after he was released from the hospital were difficult though, especially for a man who was not accustomed to being home all day. He quickly discovered a loophole though: If he taught me to drive then he'd be able to get out of the house!

With his encouragement, I walked to the DMV and picked up a drivers handbook. My dad helped me study up until I could pass all the sample tests, then I went back and aced my permit test. I remember walking in the door with my permit, grinning ear-to-ear and my dad tossed me the keys. "Great! Drive me to Menlo Park!" ...So I spent my first time behind the wheel EVER driving my dad across the Dumbarton Bridge.

When I eventually returned to the DMV for my behind-the-wheel driver's test, the driving evaluator said that in his 20 years of doing that job he'd never seen such a good, confident and safe driver. "That was actually a very pleasant, relaxing drive!" He wanted to know which driving school I went to because he was asked for recommendations all the time. I said "No driving school. I was taught by my dad: A retired truck driver of 30+ years with a misplaced amount of blind faith in me."

But that's my dad: Blind faith in his daughters. There was never any doubt that we could be anything we wanted to be because that's what our dad believed. When my own daughter was born he literally said "This girl is our future President." And he still believes it too.

When my parents retired, my dad got to live his dream: moving to a cabin in the mountains where he gets to go fishing every day. The cabin has limited solar power and can't run a coffee machine though... and coffee became my dad's vice during those long years on the road... so dad has become reliant on a busted tiny old stovetop percolator he found at a thrift shop. If I could get him a gift, it would be a shiny new steel and glass percolator. I found a beautiful Coleman one on Amazon. Unfortunately the price tends to fluctuate between $20 and $35 due to Amazon magic but there are always links on there for used ones around $20... which would still be better than his current one! I know he'd be psyched either way!

But even if you don't choose me, thank you for offering this. Dads don't get nearly enough recognition. They deserve a shout-out! Plus I love reading about all the awesome dads. :)

Bringing a new puppy home to your cats is a lot easier than one might think!

We recently "fostered" a puppy for 3-4 days. Our three cats (aged 2-3 yrs) have NEVER been in contact with a dog. Ever.

We read a lot of stuff, and the best way to go about this is...

Gates. Invest in gates. We bought 3 of these which worked wonders. Obviously depending on the size of the puppy, he/she might be able to fit through the cat door at first. But our cats were more than comfortable jumping over them to escape from the puppy.

The most important thing is to give your cats space. They need 1-2 "safe" rooms. They need a place to escape from the puppy after their few minutes of contact with the new puppy. This is so important, because your home IS your cats home. It's where they feel safe!

Also, I don't know how your cats feel about squeaky toys... but our cats HATE the noise. Try to ease the puppy onto squeaky toys (if you want). The more squeaking the puppy does with the toys, the more the cats might become frightened of the puppy. Squeaky toys are so fun for dogs because the squeaker imitates an animal (they squeak it, it's like them 'squeaking' a small animal of sorts... hence they LOVE them). If the cats hear the noise and see the puppy shaking it around, they might become more stressed out.

Edit: Forgot some other important things...

Keep your cat's nails trimmed as well. There is guaranteed to be a LOT of swiping. The puppy will realize what's going on, and will want to play with the cat. So just be cautious!

Also, do NOT hold a cat and walk them towards the dog. Do not in ANY way force them to go near the dog. If one of the cats gets scared and comes towards you to be picked up, pick them up and walk them to one of the gated off rooms. (I don't know if other cats do this or not... but my cats are literally like dogs) You need to let your cats be the curious kitties that they are. No matter how long it takes, the kitties will learn to love and care for the puppy. Just remember... Some dogs remain "puppies" for over 2 years (personality-wise). So... prepare yourself!

Good luck, if you have any questions - feel free to ask!!

Edit #2: If you can deal with a puppy (~6 months or younger), I personally think it's the way to go. Even if you're looking to get a BIG (70+ lb) dog, they start out at about 20lbs at ~12 weeks. The smaller the dog is when you bring him/her home, the more relaxed your cats will be. If you bring home a HUGE dog (no matter how sweet), I think your cats might be more frightened. In my personal opinion it's best to get a puppy that the cats can get used to while they're relatively still small in size. Oh, and the puppy will get used to the cats. Puppies will generally NOT care. But when you're adopting, be sure that the foster parents/rescue lets you know how they are with kitties. Generally most puppies are fine with cats though!

Sorry for rambling... I keep thinking of more things!

I tried to find some options, but didn't find shit. I checked LPA, etsy, and specialty shops, without much luck. That must be super frustrating. /r/dwarfism is pretty quiet, but has a dedicated userbase that may be able to help.

I am short, but not an LP, and have always gotten child-sized gloves and cut the fingertips off. If you are in a really cold climate, child convertable mittens may work well; they are what I wear now. I also wear child-size stretchy gloves, but imagine the fingers might be too long for a little person. Goodwill has some cool new Halloween gloves on their endcaps all winter every year. I have tons of glow-in-the-dark monster gloves. Some Plasti-Dip drops on the fingers may help with touchscreens. I still stick with convertable mittens for accuracy and fit.

Sorry I can't be of more help. This is exactly why I am slowly learning to sew, with an emphasis on making clothing for little people. There isn't much out there, and it isn't fair.

I will keep looking and let you know if I have any luck. I will also ask my acquaintence for any resources. I haven't seen him wear gloves, so no promises.

Sorry to ramble, I have been drinking.

Edit: took the liberty of posting a thread, hope it will be of help. https://np.reddit.com/r/dwarfism/comments/5hibty/gloves_that_will_work_with_touchscreens/ if it is and you need assistance buying gloves, OP, let me know.

Edit 2: here are the style of gloves that I currently wear. Measured the fingers and thumbs, and they are well within your range. Unstretched thumb is 1" and fingers are 1.25". https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006GFQS5Y

I understand that you may want leather, but I'm an animal lover and can't help there.

Amazing project and very much in the spirit of this and the random kindness subs. I especially like the part that you are urging others to participate.

I would like to offer up two items I bought specifically to cheer up a random person. I love to crotchet and found a very cute box set for making tiny dolls with the instruction book and supplies included. I have done the star wars set https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Crochet-Kits/dp/1626863261 and loved them so I always thought it would make a nice gift. I have one set for Frozen theme dolls https://www.amazon.com/Disney-Frozen-Crochet-Box-Set/dp/1626864438/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=61cUnmgm2ZL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=KDQCBXY6ZWXD72MHGXK1 , and one set for Starwars dolls. I would like to give them to 2 different people. Please post a reply if you would like them, I will send a pm to the people I select :)

I would love to be considered for the GoPro. I have a Grandmother who is no longer mobile and she misses going on walks/hikes/travel. I thought it would be a fun thing to film some things at her request, so that she may still experience things outside the home.

Thank you

If I can suggest something, as one digital artist to another:

https://www.amazon.com/Turcom-Graphic-Drawing-Capture-Sensitive/dp/B008Y40DQU/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1KPS9F32FRVBB&keywords=turcom+tablet&qid=1558954336&s=gateway&sprefix=turcom%2Caps%2C179&sr=8-5

This tablet is a fraction of the cost of Wacom and such and honestly? I think it's 20x better than a Wacom product. I started out with Wacom but since I got this tablet, I haven't used another kind. It's much more sensitive than a Wacom and it just works better imho.

FireAlpaca is also a great starter's free digital program. It's somewhere between SAI and Photoshop, but easier than both imo. (I'm diehard SAI for life but it's not free.)

Best of luck, your art's super cute.

Also try setting a timer (no more than 15min!) and racing through whatever you can in that time; or if you happen to be watching something with commercials or playing a game with pauses, do whatever you can during those breaks - you'll be surprised at what you can do in 30secs!

Gamification works super well for those of us motivated by positive reinforcement, and some genius folks have made apps/sites to maximise the fun! https://yukaichou.com/lifestyle-gamification/the-top-ten-gamified-productivity-apps/

You might consider "Get It Done When You're Depressed", by Julie A. Fast - it's often available at the library: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AR17ZHS/

This is what I get for my dog: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0037Z6VK8/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

My pup has grass allergies pretty badly, so every time she goes outside, she starts with the itching. This is actually an antiparasitic & antiseborrheic, but it helps my pup. Coal Tar shampoos is what the vets use for mites/mange and such (I was a kennel tech at a couple of vet hospitals years ago).

For $7/bottle, it might be worth a shot for you.

Hope the pup gets to feeling better soon!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01IU6RP12/ref=twister_B07RD872XN?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

If you do a trial prime account, shipping is free. cancel the card information before they charge you if you wish to.

I think with taxes and all it comes out to 210 with free shipping

I hope this helps you!

Mentally, I'm going through something very similar to what you're experiencing. I thought about going down the route of medication and therapy again, but those things became too much of a crutch the last time around. Right now , I'm chasing a different perspective on life and trying to accept that certain things cannot be fixed in the traditional sense. Got to calm that restless mind some how. Here's a book that I reread every now and then, maybe it can help you too?

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Idiots-Guide-Zen-Living/dp/159257243X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Complete+Idiot%27s+Guide+to+Zen+Living&qid=1566972499&s=gateway&sr=8-1

I love this brand, usually buy it from an herbal shoppe in a little hippie town near me but it's on Amazon apparently :)

​

https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Peace-Brand-Ginger-Candy/dp/B004TI4SIE

My wife is a self-taught artist and I can say she's good at it. She's been using her reliable wacom bamboo for more than 3 yrs now and it finally gave up. I want to gift her a new graphics tablet but we're also taking care of her father's medical bills (he has diabetes) and she wouldn't let me buy it.
https://www.amazon.com/Inspiroy-H640P-Graphics-Battery-Free-Sensitivity/dp/B075T6MTJX/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=huion&qid=1555816569&s=gateway&sr=8-4

Yes, I had to add the dial soap and the toilet paper through the store though, trying to add it through your wish list wouldn't work. Although if I may suggest, replace your current lunchables selection with this instead: https://www.amazon.com/Kraft-Oscar-Mayer-Lunchable-Cheese/dp/B01N59ZCI8/ref=sr_1_14?keywords=lunchables&qid=1569538252&s=gateway&sr=8-14

Get 16 instead of 5, and for less money. I tried adding it myself to the cart but when I do that it doesn't let me select your address for shipping, so maybe try adding it to your wish list and maybe it'll work from there.

Hi! First i want to say thank you!

I'm a Venezuela based artist, living here is hard since there is an economic crisis. Anyway, I have a friend, his father died two days ago, and he is kind of suicidal. I would like to buy him a graphic drawing tablet because he is a good artist too, and I can afford living in this country with my current job, i just want to help him raising money, since he will need it from now on.

https://www.amazon.com/Inspiroy-H640P-Graphics-Battery-Free-Sensitivity/dp/B075T6MTJX/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=huion&qid=1555854860&s=gateway&sr=8-4

And if it is within your heart, i would like a panoramic rear view mirror for my car, since i'm blinded of one eye and it would help a lot while driving.

https://www.amazon.com/Yoolight-Rearview-Universal-Interior-Panoramic/dp/B076CM3F49/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=panoramic+rear+view&qid=1555855522&s=gateway&sr=8-6

No need to pay the shipment to Venezuela, you can send them to miami and i can pay the shipment from miami to Venezuela since it would be more expensive for you.

They certainly cost less than a wheelchair if we're looking at the same thing.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Outsunny-Adjustable-Gardening-Planting-Gardener/dp/B01KSYU0KW?ref_=ast_sto_dp

I would think you'd need on with an axle that is steerable like the above one, I found a few that were a little less expensive.

Here is the non-mobile link from the comment above
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8 pounds of cereal marshmallows This is the weirdest and most awesome thing I could think of.