TIL, thanks for the explanation!

He’s not a robot though, right? I though replicants were genetically engineered humans?

Doctor here. 👋 I just wanted to give my experience. I had to do eight years of schooling/debt, THEN I had to do 6 years of post graduate training (internship, residency, fellowship).

Now the post graduate years are paid like a job but not at a physician salary rate so paying on student loans during that time was next to impossible for me because I was in a high cost of living area. So my interest continued to compound during that time. It sucked.

As for the OP I just want to say that part of the reason I expect a higher salary is because I gave up 14 years of my life - most of my youth - in training to get here. Those 14 years were immensely valuable and I often regretted going down this path because of all the things I gave up instead. The training was incredibly difficult and time consuming. I lost touch with all my friends, had to move repeatedly, etc. It was absolutely brutal and felt endless. That’s part of what those paychecks are paying for.

Remember, it’s not just fun. It’s contractually obligated fun fun fun!

Even if it ends up NOT being ankylosing spondylitis exactly - you should know that there are some hereditary factors that predispose to AS but also to other, similar conditions which are collectively called “inflammatory spondyloarthropathies.” Given your brother’s diagnosis you probably have a higher chance of one of these conditions because of your shared genetics. So yeah absolutely ask another physician until someone investigates your symptoms!

It’s really interesting to me that you have provided this additional clue because ankylosing spondylitis was literally the first thing that popped into my head reading your story. I agree with others that your story sounds much more than typical aging symptoms and you should seek the opinion of another physician.

But how the information was presented matters, especially when people are unfamiliar with the topic.

No going off-grid is a substantially larger investment than most people can afford. To be off grid you have to be able to make enough electricity even on cloudy, short winter days. That means your system must be massively oversized for your needs during most of the year. You also need adequate batteries to store energy for overnight.

Instead people get enough solar to offset some or all of the electricity they use - but on average over time. So they produce a ton during the day and then draw from grid at night.

Interesting read, thanks for sharing.

Do you have scoliosis?

I don’t “want” my backhaul going over WiFi but I’m in a house where it is quite challenging to run Ethernet cable. It’s on the list to get to but it’s a big project. In the meantime I have a functioning network. People have different situations that call for different tools.

Don’t get me wrong I’m 100% behind renewable energy but do you seriously not understand someone saying ‘hey I like this beautiful natural scene without machinery all over?’

I’m trying but I’m in a new place and the past few years every time I start to make a friend….

Not sure if this is a joke. For years my phone was the only one paired with the Bluetooth on my wife’s car as I like to play music when I drive it but she couldn’t be bothered to mess with it and listens to the radio. That doesn’t mean that I am usually the driver in the car though as she usually drives it. It was paired for the few times she wasn’t in the car and I had to use it.

+1 for this. My allergies aren’t as bad as you have described but I moved to an area with wildfires (smoke!) and bought a couple of HEPA filters that also have activated charcoal and I absolutely can tell a big difference with them in allergy season.

Not sure why you were downvoted. In some instances I think this may absolutely be a factor and the generational perpetuation of such an environment is hard to overstate. My spouse and I refer to it as “One Hundred Years of Solitude” after the amazing novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. If you haven’t read it, it follows this family in Columbia through multiple generations showing how self-destructive behaviors can be passed through generations in a self-perpetuating way. That’s an aside to say that I agree that yes I suspect that for some folks this is a part of the story.

Exercise routinely, eat in a healthy way, take care of your teeth.

“Easy things tend to become hard, and hard things tend to become easy.”

This was said to me by my mentor when I was contemplating a very difficult career choice. I have found a lot of truth in it through various areas of my life. The most striking has been watching people I knew when I was much younger who always look for the easy way out of whatever life throws at them. Over time I’ve watched how this catches up to people and makes life much harder for them because they never plan, never save, never deny themselves in the moment.

Damn you really nailed it. This is something that has bothered me a lot but I’ve never found a good way to explain it. Your analogy is perfect.

making a big deal about it

Maybe I’m wrong but isn’t this sub for posting minor annoyances?