How's the experience with those? I'm just getting into THCa because I just learned that my state hasn't (yet) banned it and I'm tired of driving out of state and paying sky-high taxes.

Thanks! I'm not super enthusiastic about the prospect, but I had a contract gig in Charlotte in late 2018 through mid 2019, so I know I could probably handle RTP. The last time I was in Durham was when I was 15 and attending a camp at Duke, but I remember it being an interesting place.

I didn't enjoy Charlotte, though the beer was great and its public transit was good compared to the rest of the South. I suspect I didn't enjoy it because I hated my job, as does just about everyone who works at Charter. But the city was very clean for a city of its size, the people were nice, and it was wonderful to play in a softball league that wasn't as full of drama as HSL in Atlanta (and I enjoyed playing for that league, but the drama was a bit much). I felt it was a good place for settling down as a couple, just not for being a young and unattached adult.

The political situation in pretty much all of the South gives me pause. Kentucky has its flaws, but at least it has a Democratic governor who's popular and politically savvy. The latter is important because of the upcoming election. 😬

Good luck with the job application! As someone in a similar position, I can relate.

You gave me a lot to consider and I've been reconsidering some of my positions over the past few days. While not ideal, I could probably live in Athens and be okay. It's close enough to Atlanta to access the tech community there, while being far enough to avoid the stress of the big city and the boredom of the suburbs. It's also not that far from the Research Triangle and its tech community.

Thinking about it, I realized that I want us to have a life as "us," meaning that I don't want to be "${boyfriend_name}'s boyfriend," nor do I want the reverse to be true. I've mentioned this to him in the past, but only in passing. The more I think about it, the more I realize how important this is to me. Ultimately, I want us to work out more than I want to live in a place I'd gladly move to if I were single or dating someone who's similarly inclined. But it doesn't help that there's nothing here that aligns with my (admittedly weird) interests. For instance, I've gotten into working out with steel clubs and maces and am getting into kettlebells (but not CrossFit; just looking at the American kb swing makes my shoulders hurt).

And you are so right about the different types of conservatism. Out west, other than the militia and religious nuts, it seems like it's more of a libertarian "live and let live, just don't tell me what to do" conservatism, whereas in the South and Midwest, it's more of a totalitarian "my religion is the One True Way and it compels me to hijack the government's power to force others to comply." As I've told my partner, given only a choice between a religious conservative Democrat and a libertarian, I'd gladly vote for the latter.

Thanks. That's the conclusion I'm slowly coming to, as well. I've given your words some thought and I think it's willing to have another conversation when we're both in a good place mentally and emotionally. He's been stressed because of the previously impending shutdown, so it probably didn't help that I brought this up without considering that.

ETA: I think part of this stems from a desire for us to build our own life together rather than us living in a place that only one of us has ties to. This was one of the things I was insecure about in my previous relationship because I moved in with him. So it always felt like his place (his house, his family, his friends, etc) and I had to fit into it rather than us finding our own way. To be fair, that relationship was a bad idea for several reasons (but that's often the case in one's 20s), but I think this is a sore spot due to my history of being kicked out as a youth and, for several years, having to live in places where I didn't have any say in simple things like furniture and decor. I don't want him to feel like that (which is part of why I'm hesitant about the Atlanta area) and I don't want to feel like that (which is part of why I wasn't keen on living here long-term).

Edit 2: Your point about thinking about what we want rather than where we want to live is a better way to frame it. We've been so fixated on the places (or rather, our perceptions of some places) rather than considering what it is we want out of a place to live.

Yep. This is partly why I work US PST/PDT hours despite living three time zones eastward. If I couldn’t get to sleep until 2:00 am my time, I can still get eight hours of sleep and be up an hour before work. And because West Coast folks tend to be less anal about such things (they just care that work is getting done and communication is happening), if necessary I can start an hour or two late on days when there are no morning meetings.

I also only take my first Dexedrine dose unless it’s a very bad day for focusing and I don’t have any morning obligations the following day.

I can swing a 15 lb mace pretty easily and do multiple reps on both sides. I can handle a 20 lb mace on both sides if I’m not fatigued or too distractible to mind my form. I can do one-handed swings with a 10 lb mace.

For comparison, in July I could barely swing a 10 pounder with two hands and I nearly fucked myself up in August trying to swing a 15. It took a while to work up to swinging with my left hand (the weaker one) on the bottom because of the strength disparity between the sides.

My next goal is to earn the L1 Tacfit certification next month.

I completely agree with this. Getting my ADHD under control with Dexedrine and Wellbutrin along with guanfacine to take the edge off of the irritability has been a life changer. I’m still very much AuDHD, but at a manageable level.

Working from home means no longer having to battle sensory sensitivity. I created and set up my own custom lighting setup (read: a couple of motor controllers and AliExpress LED strips). I normally work under very low lighting, but it’s trivial to adjust it when I have to be on camera. That’s rare because I luckily work on a team in which it’s socially acceptable not to have it on. At work, ADHD drives the flashes of insight and willingness to try ridiculous ideas; autism keeps track of the todo list and forces me to think about edge cases.

It’s the autism that drives me to clean up things that I spill and isolate and regularly get rid of trash, for example. It’s also why I am generally well prepared while traveling. I have dedicated cases for electronics, toiletries, cutlery and condiments, even bookmarks and writing utensils, and I always have a little cash, some of it in quarters, just in case I have to do laundry. Incidentally, those are some of the things that drive me batty about my boyfriend, who’s allistic and inattentive ADHD. But I know he can’t help it, plus he has to deal with my rigidity and hyperactivity.

Anyway…my analytical and hyperactive nature are what drive me to exercise regularly and to see it as a lifelong habit; given the vast body of data about its benefits and the dangers of being sedentary, it would be illogical if I didn’t do it.

The advice about not looking for love is good but incomplete. I think that some people (myself included) have to put some thoughtful effort into dating if they want a partner. For others, it comes more naturally for one or two simple reason(s): they have a wide social circle and/or they have lives that consistently put them in contact with a lot of other people. In a lot of ways, it truly is a numbers game.

Since I’m not one of those people, I took a systematic approach to dating and sought to replicate that network effect while still staying true to myself. I upgraded to the paid version of Scruff (I’m a gay man) after realizing that it was far easier for me to make friends than date where I was. The immediate goal was not to find a boyfriend, it was to practice chatting with men in a platonic manner. The secondary goal was to make a friend or two. I made a goal of chatting with 4-5 people each week.

In the meantime, I started delving more into my hobbies by taking classes and going to meetups because they exposed me to more people. Also, hobbies are a good source of conversational topics.

After 3-4 months of doing this, I received a message on Scruff at 2:00 one morning. My sleep schedule at that time was messed up, so I was actually awake then. I looked at his profile and saw that he was interested in maps (one of my special interests). So I responded and we just hit it off. If you’ve ever met someone and just clicked with them, you’ll understand what I mean by that. We became good friends within a month or two, then things got a little more serious. The downside was that he was literally on the other side of the continent and we both had careers that were dependent on our locations, so we agreed to keep things platonic. We met in person the following month and found that the attraction was still there, only stronger.

We’ve been together for over four years now and have lived together for 3.5 of them. He also has ADHD, which is probably part of why we get along so well. Perhaps I just got lucky, but if I hadn’t pushed myself to socialize with others (I consider text-based conversations to be a form of socializing), we would never have met.

tl;dr: The closest thing there is to a magic formula is to be kind, interesting, and interested in other people. And “interesting” means different things to everyone, but in my experience, hobbies and special interests tend to be a bit of an advantage. Also, a good first step is to widen your social circle (use your favorite search engine to learn more about the weak ties theory, if you want to nerd out about how that works…this is also a good start: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interpersonal_ties).

I’ve not had a gym membership since before COVID. Despite being vaxxed, boosted, and having had it once before, I don’t see myself ever becoming comfortable with the idea of joining an indoor gym. I also hate (American) fitness culture, a view that COVID solidified, so there’s zero desire to be around anyone else anyway. I just want to be able to age well and maintain my independence.

What got me to start working out: Almost 10 years ago, I went from doing manual labor (warehouse, construction, etc) to writing code for a living. It has its perks, like no longer being near the poverty line and having a consistent work schedule. But I knew that a desk job is the fastest way to end up sick and out of shape, a suspicion that was 10000% confirmed when I met my first boss. Dude was 5’10” and easily 400 lbs. After my first day at that job, I joined a cheap gym and bought a pair of running shoes. A few months later, I’d completed my first 5K. After couple of years and a few injuries and stern lectures from my chiro, I started strength training.

Why I do it now: Admittedly, I’ve not been 100% consistent over the years because of injury/illness (outside of my control) and work (something I need to get better about, as the company is only concerned with money, not my well-being). I couldn’t run or lift much for two years because I had a suprapubic catheter and I was one of those unlucky people who pees blood if I run or even walk too fast. But I got lucky and learned about adaptive fitness and that my employer would reimburse some fitness-related expenses, so I was able to work with a trainer until the catheter came out. Then last year I got a high-paying but high-pressure job, which made it too easy to skip workouts due to deadlines or emergencies. So I’ve been playing catch-up and I’ve had to learn to be patient but not complacent. I’ve also had to learn to be nice to myself when I slip up, otherwise what’s the point? While I haven’t always been consistent, I have been persistent. Ultimately, I just want to be able to haul my own groceries into the house even when I’m 80.

This is me. It sometimes feels like my autism and ADHD are at odds. For a very long time, I refused to make any lists or do any kind of planning because if anything disrupted the process of executing them, I’d have a meltdown or come close to it.

Even now, I have to loosely plan, which comes across to allistics and NTs as being overly negative, when in reality it’s proactive ADHD management and meltdown prevention.

In the States, the same choads that drive tankmobiles tend to complain about fuel prices and how it’s all big gubmint’s fault for stealing their fun (fun being defined as the ability to do 95 mph on the interstate and still pay under $50 for a tank of gas).

The negative: not to be too self-deprecating, but… just how annoying I can be to others (both my ex- and current partners vastly prefer it when I’m on meds). Being impulsive, having difficulty picking up on social cues, and being blunt (yay autism) is a volatile mix and I truly wonder how many friendships it’s wrecked

The neutral: the autism comes out in force, but mostly in a good way. I live and die by (self-directed) routines and having an analytical personality helps in nudging myself to do the right thing (e.g., it’s easier to stop procrastinating if I think about all of the possible consequences of continuing to procrastinate)

The good: with the right systems in place and in the right job, I actually can do well in a full-time job

I’ve found it to be the opposite; if I don’t move enough for long enough, I get stiff and sore and any existing injuries feel worse. I think it’s at least partly due to my job, as it requires sitting for longer than a human being should.

Having done manual labor before changing careers, my experience aligns with what others have already said: hydration and stretching are your friends. To add to that, I found supplementing with creatine and BCAAs to be helpful when I was a package handler. Creatine is ridiculously expensive now, but might be worth the price if it makes you feel better.

ETA: hydration matters not just during your shifts, but also before and after work. If you don’t do this already, try drinking a few glasses of water before bed and see if it makes a difference in how you feel in the mornings. I tried it for a few days and it made waking up less painful, so I try to make sure I’m well-hydrated before bed.

I have had a great experience using steel maces and clubs to improve shoulder mobility and strength. I don’t follow any specific programs; instead, I pick a workout from the Onnit 6 steel mace program or do one of their free mace workouts (available here: https://onnit.s3.amazonaws.com/digital-downloads/ebooks/Beginners Guide to the Steel Mace.pdf). The choice is based on what I did the day before.

It’s been about six weeks since starting this and the results have been noticeable. The strength imbalance between my left and right sides is improving, as is my grip strength. I’ve broken through a long plateau. I work virtually with a trainer and he’s noticed the results and is encouraging me to keep at it. Even my boyfriend has noticed; about four weeks in, he commented that my shoulders are broader and my upper body has more definition.

Like you, I’m in my late 30s and have accumulated injuries over the years. In my case, I had tennis elbow on both sides at different points last year; the weaker side was the first and the worse. I couldn’t do any meaningful lifting for about 4-6 months and it took a year to get back to where I was. I have lingering problems in my left hand and shoulder from being hit by an inattentive motorist (redundant, I know) several years ago while cycling.

If you go this route, start light! I had to swallow my pride and start with a 5 lb and a 7 lb mace, which are generally recommended for women. I’m now able to do 360s and 10-2s comfortably with a 10 lb mace. If I’m fully engaged mentally and physically, I can do a couple of 360s with the 15 lb, using my stronger side to drive it.

Trying to start with a 10 lb club was not the best idea, but I made do by choking way up on the club and doing very slow and smooth mills along with a variation of an exercise I learned in physical therapy last year.

It could be anything as long as it’s intense enough to leave me wiped out. Ideally, it’s at least three times a week, but must be twice at a minimum, or the brain demons will get me

I feel you.

Things that helped me (sorry about the formatting; I’m still trying to figure that out):

1. embracing the fact that learning new things means initially sucking at them and there’s no way around that. But vulnerability in an environment in which others feel similarly is a good thing because it can make it easier to strike up a friendship.

2. if you can’t be consistent, be persistent. I’ve been working out for the past 6-7 years, with the exception of a yearlong stretch in because I had a suprapubic catheter and finding adaptive training is hard, especially in the middle of a pandemic. I eventually found one and we’ve been working together for well over two years, even though the cath came out 1.5 years ago. But the past six months have been stressful because of work. So there are weeks in which I only work out once, maybe twice. It’s not great, but it’s still better than nothing and vastly better than overtraining, which I did last year because I tried to use working out as a solution for all my stress and wound up with tennis elbow that took the rest of the year to rehab. But I’m still stronger than I was six months ago. Glacial progress is still progress!

3. there’s nothing wrong with paying for knowledge from an expert, if you can do that. Working with a trainer has been super helpful in learning more about how to move with proper form and without getting hurt. I’ve applied those lessons to other forms of exercise that I do on my own (lately, it’s been steel mace workouts). I don’t think I’d have been able to learn on my own without hurting myself if I hadn’t first learned about the importance of seemingly little things, like breathing correctly.

4. have a way to fill in the gaps in your routine. If I can’t go running because of poor air quality, I have steel maces and half a tire to pound on and I have an air bike if I’m limited to indoors activities or can’t be away from my desk for too long. If I’m injured, I have resistance bands and very light kettlebells

Nevada is a beautiful state! I’ve had a blast every time I’ve visited, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that I’m not into gambling. How do you like it?

It could always be worse, though I wouldn’t choose to live here if it weren’t for my boyfriend. As a kid, I used to dream of leaving the South for good. And I managed to pull it off by getting a job at a company in Silicon Valley just before the pandemic.

But dating in that part of the US is hard if you’re a techie who’s not a queer Communist poly furry, so I became open to long-distance dating. To be clear, my values and beliefs are radically leftist when compared to the value system that the government and religious authorities (basically the same thing in TN, lol) try to cram down kids’ throats. But I’ve endured enough brainwashing attempts to be extremely skeptical of any belief system that claims that it’s the one true way and all other beliefs/systems are <insert absolutist hyperbolic ways of saying “bad” here>.

I work with a trainer for the majority of my workouts, but he’s currently out of town. I’ve wanted to become more autonomous and I want to address the strength imbalance between my left and right sides, so I’ve been doing some of Onnit’s steel mace workouts. Several weeks ago, I started doing one day a week of mace work and have increased it to 2-3 while he’s out of town. Hopefully it’ll get me out of this plateau by the time he’s back.

I have an Assault fan bike. Its screen can’t be used to watch TV (if I want to do that, I put my iPad on top of the screen), but in my layman’s opinion it’s versatile enough for LISS and HIIT workouts. I used it to help rehab my elbow and shoulder last year and I use it for cardio on days that running outdoors isn’t a good idea. I’ve had a rower, but I could never get into rowing like I can with running.