This sounds wonderful.

Any nonzero probability is good enough for Dusty

I appreciate the humor but I think your initial comparison is pretty bad.

Wild pigs don’t depend on waste from humans. They’re invasive to the Americas, sure, but there is a huge difference between hunting an invasive species that is wreaking havoc in the ecosystem (and possibly going through your “waste”) versus raising domesticated pigs in abysmal conditions — and all other associated negative consequences — for a market with inflated demand.

Also, the issue with H1N1 is, again, mostly due to farming.

So, no, pigs inherently aren’t “almost parasites” and although they can get diseases, like all animals, the threat of transmitting those diseases to humans come from farming practices.

Mosquitoes are consequential and our relationship with pigs is largely voluntary. The difference is enormous.

Not sure if you are arguing for or against pig farming. I’m against mosquito farming btw.

Mosquitos are almost parasites and are vectors for disease. It’s a pretty different relationship we have with them.

???

Getting roaches, which invade your space, don’t contribute positively to it and, in fact, can cause disease is quite different from voluntarily raising chickens for slaughter.

Lord have merci

Is it weird I kind of like the tears?

When I was in the end of my PhD, everything except writing my thesis made me feel guilty. I ended up learning to find joy and peace in doing laundry and washing dishes. They became my guilt-free breaks — I had to do these things. FYI - I didn’t enjoy washing dishes before.

Washing dishes has become a really powerful part of my day, haha. Not only is it still a guilt-free break but it is a daily reminder to be mindful. I’ve noticed that whenever I drop and break a dish, my mind is not present. In fact, in those moments my mind might actually be drifting somewhere negative.

Maybe not so much a “hack” as a … lesson? Or something? But yeah, the whole cliche about having the right attitude and being present and mindful. I try to apply it in other parts of life, not just the dishes.

A “friend” started a company and hired me. It was pretty fun for a year. Then it became pretty bad — real bad. I quit on the spot after a verbal abuse session where I demanded more respect and my “friend” / boss literally said “no.”

It’s been a little over a year since I quit. Lived in my car for some of it, otherwise took odd jobs here and there where I could rent a room temporarily.

I’m at the end of this insane journey — starting a new job in a couple months. It’s been rough but I still think it was the right decision. Curious to see myself in 6 months to a year.

Anyway, felt like this was somewhat similar to your case.