Psychedalek

Something about a draw account... this is the new job I've taken. I know, I know, "don't take a job if you don't understand how you get paid". Everything I've read online says that I could end up in debts... how in the world can I end up owing my workplace money TO WORK FOR THEM?

I'm so confused and this is the first job I've found in 6 months of hard looking. What in the world do I do? How does this stupid draw commission work?

So my local Indie radio station played a song the other day that I didn't catch the name of. It sounds at first like "a squeaky dog toy" synth, as my mum put it. Then as it goes on, it has some chanting, sounds kinda like a traditional native pow-wow type thing, and it progresses into this sort of chanty electro thing, without saying any actual words.

Does anybody know what song this may be?

Thanks!

I'm going to university soon, and I seriously hate my name. Sarah. I guarantee that there will be at least 5 other Sarah's in my residence building, and I am just frustrated with being one of twenty "Sarah ___ *insert last initial here*" girls.

Luckily, the nice thing about University is that. My parents call me Sari, like the indian style of dress, and my cultural form of my name is Sorcha (pronounced Circa - I'm Irish). But I was wondering if there are any other good nicknames for Sarah?

I know I can't really give myself a nickname, haha, but if there are a million other Sarahs in my dorm or classes, and someone asks me if I prefer another name... why not, right?

As I type this on my 2007 iMac, in my American Apparel screen printed shirt of a local indie band, eating yoghurt and hemp seeds, drinking tea out of a Starbucks travel mug, and listening to Alt-J, I have to realise... I have unintentionally become a hipster. In small bits and pieces, assuredly. But it has happened - and I am fine with it. One day I tossed out my fishnets and Doc Martens, and... I metamorphosed.

So I must ask. Are we hipsters really as dreadful as we're purported to be (mostly by my lovely metalhead friends)?

BQ: Are hipsters even a thing anymore? Were they ever a thing?

BQ1: Who are worse - us or BVB scene kids?

I'm a straight female, 18 y/o. I just got out of a bad relationship with a really desperate guy. I find that in most of my romantic encounters I have to "settle" for guys that I'm not particularly attracted to, I don't particularly like, and so forth. Basically, the only guys who ever like me or pursue me only do so because they are very, very desperate. Don't get me wrong - I'm not that special. I don't want to seem arrogant by saying all this. But I'm also not that bad. I've been called pretty by a lot of people, but I dunno if I really believe that. I'm not ugly but I'd say I'm average, I try to offset some of my more unfortunate god-given features by dressing well. As for my personality, I try to be kind to everyone, but I am a little bit socially awkward sometimes which is unfortunate. I'm not really the kind of person that leaves a strong impression on you, I think, but I also don't usually leave a bad one. So once again, neutral.

I find that 90% of the time when I am genuinely interested in a guy, he either doesn't like me back, or he does for a while but then he gets bored of me. The only guys who actually are interested in me only are because they're desperate and will go for anything. Some of them have actually SAID how desperate they are, then hit on me directly afterwards. It really makes you feel bad about yourself after a while... I don't want to date anybody, and I'm not desperate myself. I'm not interested in anyone and that's totally fine with me. But in the past day or two, four of my guy friends have hit on me for this exact reason, 2 of them saying they wanted me because they were desperate. I'm tired of being guilted into giving them a chance only to feel bad about myself later, because I know they're just using me.

Basically... why do you think only desperate guys like me? How do I turn them down while still being kind and keeping them as a friend, and ensuring they don't keep pestering me about it? What can I do to improve my chances of getting a decent guy to be interested in me in the future?

I finished my victory lap the other day (I did a half year rather than a year), and I now have almost no friends. As I basically took a gap year, a lot of my friends have moved on and gone onto university or college, and have moved to other cities. As a result, I don't see them often and they're too busy to talk, hanging with new friends. I 100% understand - I'm going to University six hours away from my home city in the fall, and I'm excited to hopefully make some great new friends there too.

The issue is that my friends still here, in my home city, and I have been drifting apart over the past little while, and we've basically stopped hanging out or even talking now. My best (female) friend of 13 years and I barely talk, and when we do, it's very brief and surface. We used to talk during class, but now without school we don't bother. It's the same with all my other friends in that friend group. Thing is, I understand that before/during university you lose a lot of friends but then eventually gain new ones (if all goes well), but I still have months and months to go! I don't want to spend all this term and summer alone. I like my friends, and I love their company. But then sometimes, specifically with my best friend, I just have this overwhelming feeling of... it's over. We've kind of outgrown each other, and my whole friend group are doing apprenticeships or community college, and getting married/into serious relationships. Meanwhile I'm single, moving to a big city and studying journalism, and even doing a planned exchange to the UK. Both are great life paths, but they're obviously very different. We don't have much in common anymore, and we don't have that much to talk about.

I'm just looking for advice on how I should handle this situation. Do I try really hard to repair the friendships, and keep those friends for occasional parties and events, but end up spending a lot of time alone? Or do I try to reconnect online with at-university friends, make new friends at jobs (trying to find one), and try to connect with acquaintances from my home city that otherwise might not become friendships? Basically... give up or keep trying? It's still so many months until I move. And I do love my friends :(

I only started using this iPod 2 days ago... I got it brand new as a gift, shipped from Apple Online.

It's already super slow, taking up to 20 seconds between songs to switch, and the touch screen is not responsive entirely while listening to music. However, it isn't "broken" so to speak - just incredibly sluggish and annoying, especially for something thats 2 days old in use. It's a 64GB, and I only have about 27GB of music on it right now. It's only running 2 apps (music included) at any given time.

Problem is, my parents got it engraved, so I can't "just return" it. I didn't even need this iPod that much, as I have a perfectly functioning 32GB one. Do you think Apple would let me return this iPod because of how sluggish it is, especially being so new? Or would they decline it as they do most engraved products?

I was chatting to a friend on Facebook tonight, and I looked at the address bar. It said "facebook.gm", or "facebook.gr". I forget which, but I'm fairly sure it was the former.

I use a Macbook Pro 2010 with OS X Mountain Lion... I'm running a virus scan right now, but it came clean on a frequent scan. My computer has been running extremely slow lately, and the battery has been going down fast (I just got it replaced two months ago, too).

I am making up a French brochure for a blacksmithing tools business, and I need to know how to say "swage block" in French. I've looked on every translator and dictionary, and have no idea!

I would be very grateful to find the translation, thank you :)

First off, my family has a history of asthma. My mum has it quite badly, and has nearly died from it a few times.

Anyway, I've recently gained some weight around my stomach. I used to be verging on anorexic (thankfully I saw someone) so naturally I'm not a big fan of weight around my midsection, but I wanted to deal with it in a healthy way this time. I've always been very outdoorsy - canoeing, hiking, biking, rock climbing, skiing - so I'm not totally out of shape, and I eat very well. I decided to start running, as I'm from Canada, and I can't do most of the other things in the winter.

Today, I tried to go out for a run/walk. I started off running for about 1 minute, and I had to stop, but I was alright after a minute or two of walking. Next time I tried to run, I lasted 10 seconds before I was wheezing, tasting blood, and having intense chest pains. It took me about 5-10 minutes to catch my breath, and be able to breathe normally again. Even now, 20 minutes later, I still start coughing when I breathe deeply.

So, am I just intensely out of shape, or should I speak to my doctor about asthma tests?

My mum does the grocery shopping and won't let anybody else do it. I don't understand why, as my dad and I cook 99% of the time. She consistently, week after week buys unhealthy junk food.

I'm a 17 year old Canadian girl, and I have IBS and a million other illnesses. I'm trying to eat as healthy as I can, because I've noticed diet helps a lot. Gluten makes me feel quite sick, and I can't eat too much dairy or I get sick. It's similar with meat. But this is ALL my mum buys! This week, she only bought one vegetable or fruit: a tiny, slimy box of mescalin mix. We're not poor either, we're reasonably good in the finance department and we have free government health care, so it's not lack of resources that is preventing her from buying healthy food.

Today for dinner, she had: 2 Steak, cheese, & sour cream wraps, a coke, a bunch of chocolate cookies. She's overweight and getting worse, and she's borderline diabetic. She's really unhealthy. I want her to get healthier so she doesn't die before I turn 30 but she won't listen.

I would have liked a nice salad, or lentil soup, etc... But we don't have any of this. She bought ice cream, chips, bread, steak, pretzels, candies, cheese, and a few other things. All of which I cannot eat without feeling sick.

Whenever I ask her to buy healthier food, she gets all offended or says, "NOBODY F*CKING EATS IT, WHY WOULD I BUY FOOD THAT WILL GO ROTTEN?!" How in the world can I convince her to buy good food?!? I'm going to get fat and diabetic and ill every day :(

It seems it's easier to find condoms in a convent than it is to find a good bassist where I live.

Both my bandmate and I play drums, guitar, and bass, but unfortunately we can't find anyone else to play bass -- drums and guitar are our respective best instruments.

I've got a few in mind... Thickfreakness and Your Touch by The Black Keys, Lightning Bolt by Jake Bugg, or Problem by The Job.

I refuse to play White Stripes because, as much as I love them, I just... the drums kill my soul. Meg White makes me sad to be a female drummer.

I'm a 17 year old girl, and my parents won't believe that we have mice/rats in the walls. I hear them squeaking and scurrying, tapping and pitter-pattering in the walls. It's absolutely horrible. I'm very sick all the time, so I have to stay home from school, and I hear them all day. Of course, my parents say I'm imagining the noises because THEY can't hear them (because my parents are incredibly loud, while I'm very quiet and often bedridden). Apart from being sick, I have horrible anxiety disorder, and I'm going mad thinking about these horrible mice and rats in my walls, just waiting to come and infect me more, give us fleas and ticks and horrible things.

At my old house we had hundred of mice because my parents refused to believe an infestation was starting, and then once they realised it was happening, it was too late. They are too cheap to call an exterminator, and won't let me use my christmas money to get one here. I called one the other day, inquiring about an estimate and asking her opinion, and she said although it could be the pipes (which it's not) from my description it sounds 100% like mice, especially given the season.

What can I do to convince my parents I'm not crazy, I'm not hearing noises, and that our house has mice or worse, rats? I have to live with these things every day, I can't escape them, and I'm absolutely petrified :( I'm so worried it's making me sicker. I cry every single day.

I'm a seventeen year old female who weighs about 125lbs and I have really bad chronic constipation. I know, gross. But that's not my point. Anyway, if you're squeamish, don't read on. I just need help as my parents don't care and won't help.

For the past few weeks, I've been having trouble passing stool. I take Restoralax (stool softener) every day anyway thanks to the doctors, but all it does it make me bloated. It has no effect on me otherwise. Then, about a week ago I was unable to have a BM for about 5 days, so I took laxatives. Dulcolax, the monster. After throwing up and writhing in pain for 4 hours, I did have a BM, but it didn't solve the problem. It felt as if I was just going around an obstruction. I was still as bunged up afterwards too, so I took an enema. Once again, small BM, but really no improvement. The next day, I took laxatives again, and... absolutely nothing. Apparently I'm resistant to them already. My father has been making me drink so much water that I throw up, because he thinks this will "fix it". I can tell there is an impaction in there, I've had them before, so I called the doctor myself, a new doctor for us, and he said he'd see me in a week or so. But just to do nothing until then. Maybe exercise, because you're probably just fat. He's evidently not read my files, but my parents still believe him.

Last time I did nothing, I ended up in the hospital for a week with a tube town my nose and a wheelchair for half of it, because I could barely SIT UP without collapsing. I hadn't eaten in a week because everything came back up. Right now, I've got horrible stomach cramps and bloating that makes me look fat and pregnant; I can't even fit into my clothes. This is exactly how it began last time. I know there is an impaction in there but nobody will let me go to the hospital, and I don't want it to get as bad as before. I'm from Canada, too, so it's free to go! I can't even eat, because I have 0 appetite and I feel horrible, like eating is just adding to the big problem. I've missed so much school already due to my horrible health, and can't afford to miss any more :'(

Someone please tell me what I should do?

I've dealt with horrible acne for 8 years. Cystic, nodular, blackheads... every single type there is, over my back, shoulders, chest, and face. I've tried everything, even things from abroad & experimental... Nothing worked. A month and 6 days ago, I started taking Accutane. I did 20mg for the first month, & as soon as I switched to 40mg I started clearing up quickly. My back is scarred, with some blackheads and pimples under the skin... but it's better than it's been in years.

However... I seem to be getting every side effect from Accutane that is possible. Even the serious ones. I'm not properly depressed, but I'm sad and I cry a lot. I had anxiety disorder before taking this, and Accutane has made it a hundred times worse. I'm tired all the time. I'll sleep for 16 hours and still be knackered. I have no appetite, and food sickens me - yesterday all I ate was a granola bar and a few cups of water. I can't concentrate on anything, I get dizzy and lightheaded, and I get tired within an hour of being out of the house. I have had irritable bowel type symptoms, such as abdominal pain and irregular stool. A few times I've had ringing in my ears. I'm constantly overcome with fatigue and I feel so weak and sickly. I have back pain so bad that it reduces me to tears to change from a sitting to lying position, and I can't stand up straight. As well, my hair is falling out. I had luxurious, thick hair before... the one thing I liked about my appearance. Now it's shedding like mad. 80 strands fell out while sitting on the couch watching The Mighty Boosh last night. I don't want to be bald... I know for some it's temporary, but I seem to get the sh*ttest possible luck when it comes to EVERYTHING, so knowing me I'll be bald forever.

What am I supposed to do? I'm a 16 year old girl and this drug is killing me... But it's my last hope, and it's working incredibly. I'm so conflicted.

I've dealt with horrible acne for 8 years. Cystic, nodular, blackheads... every single type there is, over my back, shoulders, chest, and face. I've tried everything, even things from abroad & experimental... Nothing worked. A month and 6 days ago, I started taking Accutane. I did 20mg for the first month, & as soon as I switched to 40mg I started clearing up quickly. My back is scarred, with some blackheads and pimples under the skin... but it's better than it's been in years.

However... I seem to be getting every side effect from Accutane that is possible. Even the serious ones. I'm not properly depressed, but I'm sad and I cry a lot. I had anxiety disorder before taking this, and Accutane has made it a hundred times worse. I'm tired all the time. I'll sleep for 16 hours and still be knackered. I have no appetite, and food sickens me - yesterday all I ate was a granola bar and a few cups of water. I can't concentrate on anything, I get dizzy and lightheaded, and I get tired within an hour of being out of the house. I have had irritable bowel type symptoms, such as abdominal pain and irregular stool. A few times I've had ringing in my ears. I'm constantly overcome with fatigue and I feel so weak and sickly. I have back pain so bad that it reduces me to tears to change from a sitting to lying position, and I can't stand up straight. As well, my hair is falling out. I had luxurious, thick hair before... the one thing I liked about my appearance. Now it's shedding like mad. 80 strands fell out while sitting on the couch watching The Mighty Boosh last night. I don't want to be bald... I know for some it's temporary, but I seem to get the sh*ttest possible luck when it comes to EVERYTHING, so knowing me I'll be bald forever.

What am I supposed to do? I'm a 16 year old girl and this drug is killing me... But it's my last hope, and it's working incredibly. I'm so conflicted.

I have general anxiety disorder and OCD, and I smoke weed pretty frequently. It usually helps my symptoms. I have been thinking of trying shrooms with a few friends, but I've heard that psychedelic drugs can be really bad for people with anxiety related disorders.

Any opinions?

Oh, and if anyone is going to tell me "don't do that!" and chastise me, you're absolutely welcome to, so long as you back up what you say with facts. I'll take everything into consideration.

I had OCD when I was a kid, and it seems to have come back. I would have sleepness nights because not enough cars passed my windows for me to sleep. I would hurt myself again if I fell or scraped an elbow, because things can only be done in pairs. I've had bad anxiety the entire time, untreated. My parents just call it being, "a worrywart".

Well lately it's been getting horrible. Last night I was cleaning until 4:00am, because the house felt too dirty for me to sleep, felt contaminated. I'll spend hours picking specks of dirt from the floor individually, to see if they're bugs. I was crying the entire time, because I just couldn't take it and I wanted to stop but couldn't. Nearing the end, I was nauseous, shaking, and extremely faint, but I couldn't stop. Things like this happen quite frequently. I know why they're happening, my friends now why they're happening, but my parents won't acknowledge that I have a problem.

I end up getting in trouble for being, "a problem child", "selfish"... They tell me I can "just stop", that all it takes is effort. That all of my problems are just because I don't try and because I'm lazy. Whenever I try to find comfort in them about my problem, they either yell at me for being lazy, or they just leave and won't talk to me at all... I'm so lonely, hurt, and just absolutely lost for what to do.

I'm a seventeen year old girl, by the way.

I have a hair appointment for friday, so as to get it done before school... but I'm not sure at ALL how to get it cut. I need opinions, quick!

My hair is naturally blonde, I have a cowlick right at my forehead, I usually wear glasses (the big, buddy holly type ones), and I just generally look bad with long hair.

Here are some pictures of me...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahramone/661743436...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahramone/783285108...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahramone/783285894...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sarahramone/783287344...

My hair before (the ones with lots of teasing) were a crazy amount of effort, and I'm looking for something a bit more low maintenance now I'm in grade 12.

My new glasses are meant for distance, but... they absolutely suck.

Everything looks blurry and horrible, and like I'm in a funhouse. Everything is magnetised out of proportion, and things look way larger out of one eye than the other. Even colours aren't appearing properly. These are honestly the worst things I've ever used. They're supposed to make my distance vision better? I can't see 2 feet in front of me, let alone 10. They slide off my nose every five minutes as well, as if being half-blinded wasn't bad enough.

I can see about a thousand times better without them on (mostly because I'm not so distracted by the shrooms-esque vision), but my mum says I have to wear them all during school.

What's wrong with these crappy, crappy glasses?