Category: life

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People Everywhere are Picking Up Trash Thanks to the Viral “Trashtag Challenge”

I can’t stand people who litter. It’s absolutely disgusting to me that people can have such little sense of personal responsibility that they would just toss their trash around willy-nilly. I always try to do my part to pick up when I can, but it just gets me so mad that some people see our beautiful world as their own personal trash can.

But wait, here’s some great news! The #trashtag hashtag went viral recently and people from all over the world have been pitching in, picking up trash, and posting the pics on social media to prove it.

The hashtag was actually created back in 2015 by a company called UCO to encourage people to pick up trash in the woods.

Here is just a sampling of the great photos people have been posting. Keep it up, everyone!

1. All the way from India

2. Before and after

3. Cleaning up the roads

4. Look at that!

5. Keep posting these

6. Cleaning up beaches

7. All the way from Nepal

8. I could look at these all day…

9. …And I probably will

10. Look at all that garbage

Now this is a viral trend I can get behind.

Get out there and do your part!

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10+ People Share their Most Awkward Adult-Life Moments

When I was in kindergarten, I once accidentally called my teacher “mommy” when I was really tired. It was pretty embarrassing, and I wanted to melt into the floor for most of the day. Now, imagine having an experience that’s just as humiliating, but as an adult.

These 12+ confessions are that moment, but for the grownup world.

#1. Thank God for good senses of humor.

“My old boss, and my husband’s names were one letter apart. (I worked in a daycare, so the owner and all the staff often texted one another to update each other on kids, any issues parents had, and general questions.) My husband was working 3rd, and I was working 1st. We didn’t get to see each other much, and most of our conversation was done via text.

On my very first week, I was in a rush after getting into work, and texted my husband the same thing I always texted him when I got into work.

“Hey babe, I’m here. I hope your night was as awesome as you are <3. I love you soooooooo much. Your dinner is in the crock pot.”

When I went on break, I checked my phone. Nothing back from my husband, but my boss had texted me. It read “Love you too! Mwah!”

I was so confused until I looked back at the messages and realized I had sent her the text meant for my husband. Changed her contact name to “Boss” after that one.

Thank God she had a good sense of humor about it.”

#2. I think he meant the $100 bill.

“This happened to a coworker years and years ago. We were tellers at a local bank. Every Christmas we had tiny candy canes to give to the kids of customers. One guy came through with his. With his transactions he had cash back. Teller 1 was helping him. She proceeds to give him his cash in a 100 bill and the candy cane for his kid. He looks at her and says, “Can I have that broken up?” She then proceeds to bash the candy cane to a pulp with my stapler and gives it back to him. Teller 2 just looked at her after the dude said thanks and drove off, and said, “I think he meant the 100 bill.” I will remember this story forever.”

#3. Definitely this.

“These days I rarely talk on the phone to anyone who isn’t family so “love you, bye “ is a standard phone call ending. We had some issues at our house last year and I’m pretty sure I told 2 contractors and the insurance adjuster I loved them.”

#4. Honey.

“Not me, but my mom. She was in a meeting and not paying attention for whatever reason. Then someone asked her a question and she responded with “What’s that honey?”. Made me crack up for so long.”

#5. On the pot.

“My friend was on a toilet, someone knocked and she said: , Come in!’

edit: thanks for silver kind stranger!”

#6. Mixed up.

“My husband has mixed up my and his sister’s name more than once.

Also, calling your kids the pet’s name.”

#7. The look on his face…

“I’m a dental hygienist. my patient was a man who had just turned 91 the day before.

instead of saying “happy late birthday!” like a normal fucking human being, I accidentally (and very loudly) said “HAPPY LAST BIRTHDAY!!!!”

the look on his face… y’all.

this was also my second day at my new job.

edit: to answer everyone’s question on if he’s still alive: I have no idea. this happened about 2 months ago, so I won’t be scheduled to see him until sometime in July. fingers crossed he comes back or I’m going to feel even worse.

also thank you for the gold and silver! but pleaseeee put that towards a charity of your choosing instead! my idiocy doesn’t need rewarding.”

#8. Wrong job.

“At Dollar Tree the other day my boyfriend walked up to the cashier and she said almost immediately “How was your meal?” and then “Oh! wrong job!””

#9. A prayer cadence.

“I once saw a flustered young lawyer address a judge as “Oh Lord.” He was a big church person and had kind of fallen into a prayer cadence as he nervously argued. Everyone pretended it had not happened.”

#10. Big Daddy.

“I had a coworker who would jokingly call our chief “big daddy” behind his back. We were all working a little late one night and she let “hey big daddy!” slip as he walked in. To her credit she owned it and now calls him that in regular conversation.

Still weird though.”

#11. The cringe hasn’t lessened over time.

“Calling your wife “Mom” is pretty bad. I did that once almost 20 years ago and the cringe hasn’t lessened over time.

Edit: We never had kids, so it’s not like anyone else was calling her Mom. So… yeah. Super awkward. Yay!”

#12. We laughed about it for years.

“When talking with family we always end our calls with “I love you.”

So I’m on a call with my long time assistant and as the call ends without thinking I say “I lo…” and stop horrified as I couldn’t think of how to finish it. Thank God she had a sense of humor. She said, “ Aww, come on now, you can say it, go ahead, tell me you love me. “ So I did and we laughed about for years.”

#13. Some random chick at Walmart.

“Well I’ve accidentally rubbed the back of some random chick at Walmart thinking she was my wife before.”

#14. I scolded the dog.

“I’m a teacher. I unthinkingly scolded my dog the other day with, “Follow the directions!” We kinda just stared at each other for a second while I realized how ridiculous I sounded.”

#15. Enjoy!

“I’ve worked in restaurants since I was 16. When I bring someone to a table I say “enjoy.” After any drink or plate of food I put down at a table I do the same. Well I guess it was just inevitable that when a man asked me where the washroom was and I directed him that I told him to “enjoy!””

No less awkward. Maybe more.

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Physics Professor Wrecks Flat Earthers Using Simple Math

I am constantly amazed by the whole flat earther movement. Even though there’s a truly staggering (like multiple centuries’ worth) amount of scientific data proving without a doubt that the Earth is round, they still keep insisting that it’s flat. What century is this?

A physics professor at the University of Porto in Portugal named Pedro Teles was obviously fed up with this nonsense so he took to Imgur to put these flat earthers in their place.

This is how Professor Teles began.

Photo Credit: Imgur

Now pay attention and try to keep up…

Photo Credit: Imgur

That’s right! Clockwise! Now on to the North Pole!

Photo Credit: Imgur

You have to reproduce the same experiment, flat earther…and pay attention to that pendulum.

Photo Credit: Imgur

You’re not done yet!

Photo Credit: Imgur

And here’s the proof, friends.

Photo Credit: Imgur

Nice work, professor! Now, I understand if you need to go back and read this again.

But remember the most important part of this experiment…forward this to everyone in your life who believes the earth is flat!

Thank you in advance.

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10+ People Share the Brutal Truth They Learned from Failed Relationships

Breakups are rough, but they can also be a valuable learning experience – they help teach us what we really need from a relationship, what our own flaws are, and even what kinds of red flags to look out for.

That said, maybe the lessons learned by these 12+ people can save you some time (and heartache) the next time around.

#1. When it comes to kids.

“You can love each other as much as you can but if you’re not compatible when it comes to kids, future goals, etc it’s just not going to work out.”

#2. Not your responsibility.

“Sometimes, their mental health is not an excuse to stay with someone. Sometimes, you just need to let that go and it is not your responsibility to keep them healthy. If something does happen to them, it’s not your fault.
You can’t fix someone’s mental health. They can only do that themselves.”

#3. Don’t date a drinker if…

“Don’t date a drinker when you’re not one yourself.”

#4. Poor boundaries.

“I have poor boundaries and I’m too eager to please while simultaneously being too demanding.

Edit: Lol I wonder if I’ll tell her I got my first 1k comment over her.”

#5. Red flags.

“Cheating is a non-negotiable red flag.

Refusing to take responsibility is a red flag.

Ignoring your s/o is worse than arguing against your s/o which are both infinitely worse than communicating with one another about the topic at hand.

And the best one: you have to love yourself more than you love being in a relationship.”

#6. More red flags…

“If she gets fired from >10 jobs in 6 years because nobody can stand working with her…

That’s a red flag…

Edit: I guess the lesson would be to notice how other people that spend 8hrs a day with her….”

#7. It takes two.

“It takes two to make it work. And I was the only one doing any work, hoping if i worked hard enough, he would love me back as much as I loved him.

Doesn’t work that way.”

#8. Take them at their actions.

“if someone acts like they don’t care, its because they don’t care”

#9. The rest of your life.

“Dont put the rest of your life aside, when they leave you are then left with nothing.”

#10. You can’t stop them.

“People are who they are, not who you wish they would be. Loving someone and wanting a future with them won’t stop them from being a toxic person. And the only good option with toxic people is to get them out of your life. Even if it hurts.”

#11. You’ll never be able to be yourself.

“If you start the relationship by editing yourself and hiding the parts of you that you think they won’t like, it’s a trap and you’ll never be able to be yourself. Tears will follow. Do yourself a favor and at a reasonable point in the early relationship, be vulnerable and tell them all the things about yourself you are afraid of admitting. They’ll find them out eventually anyway….”

#12. Not great for each other.

“Accepting that life happens and sometimes two great people are not great for each other.”

#13. You can’t love away the issues.

“You can’t love away the depression. She self medicated with alcohol, and my love wasn’t enough to make her stop drinking.”

#14. Abusive households.

“Just because you both grew up in abusive households doesn’t mean the other person will be reluctant to abuse you.”

#15. How you react to this quirk.

“Everyone has a quirk. Everyone. Even you- you just might not know what it is. Day to day survival of a relationship can depend on how you react to this quirk. I dated a lot of guys who would just annoy the piss outta me daily with their quirks, and I’m not contributing our break ups solely to these habits, but it definitely didn’t help to be annoyed or disgusted on the daily by your partner. It took me some time to realize that this is just a part of who they are and I will never be able to change that. Learn to accept people for the funny little things they do.”

Keep your eyes on the prize out there!

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This Doc’s Decision to Write His Name on His Scrub Cap is Making Hospitals Everywhere Safer

Most of us only have experience in hospitals and operating rooms as the patient, and between the whirlwind of prep and our own nerves it’s all but impossible to remember the names of the dozen or so people littering the room, never mind why they’re there in the first place.

It turns out that the surgeons, nurses, anesthetists, et al have similar issues with remembering each others names and roles, as well, which can slow them down and even cost patients their lives in extreme situations.

The World Health Organization surgical safety checklist requires all staff to introduce themselves before surgery, but Dr. Hackett noticed that the section of the checklist was ticked without being completed – and even when it was, names and duties would go in one ear and out the other.

“When it’s done properly,” he says, “there are a few giggles from people, which tells me it’s not done regularly.”

This is why Australian anesthetist Dr. Rob Hackett started wearing a scrub cap that said “Rob Anaesthetist” on it when entering an operating theatre. He challenged others to do the same through #TheatreCapChallenge, an initiative from the PatientSafe Network in response to concerns over how avoidable mistakes and poor communication can contribute to poor outcomes for patients.

Image Credit: Twitter

Dr. Hackett says he’s faced pushback from some doctors but hopes that in the future a wider range of professionals will jump on board.

“There were some snide remarks, like ‘can’t you remember your name?’ …While there’s been support for name & role caps from anaesthetic and obstetric societies, it’s interesting to observe that we’re yet to receive any active support from a surgical college. Here’s a golden opportunity for them to face up to the bullying nature they’ve been tarred with.”

Even though the movement has room to grow, medical professionals from across the globe are showing their support by making their own caps and tweeting selfies using his hashtag #TheatreCapChallenge. Others agree with Dr. Hackett that knowing everyone’s name can save vital, life-and-death seconds in an operating room.

While it may sound crazy to think just having to repeat something or ask someone’s name, when seconds literally count, no positive change is too small.

“I went to a cardiac arrest in a theatre where there were about 20 people in the room,” Dr. Hackett recalls. “I struggled to even ask to be passed some gloves because the person I was pointing to thought I was pointing to the person behind them. It’s so much easier to coordinate when you know everyone’s names. It’s great for camaraderie and it’s great for patients as well.”

His movement is picking up steam and the data suggests there are benefits that reach beyond his original intent.

“UK studies have shown increased name recall amongst staff from 42 to 85%, increased name and role introductions during the surgical safety checklist from 38 to 90%. Simulation studies at Stanford University in the US demonstrated greatly increased communication and theatre efficiency.”

Women who have c-sections and are generally awake in an operating theatre also benefit from being able to address the people around them and have an awareness of why they’re there, as well.

An unintended benefit of writing on a scrub cap could also be people choosing to purchase re-usable caps as opposed to single-use ones – as of now, a 20-theatre hospital discards over 100,000 of them every year and spends about $10k of its annual budget on disposable caps. The material they’re made from is harmful to the environment and takes forever to break down, so there’s an environmental and financial upside to switching.

Hackett believes that being forced to admit that they’ve been hurting – even killing – patients for years can be one reason people struggle with accepting his simple fix for the problem.

“Cognitive dissonance is one of the challenges that #TheatreCapChallenge has faced. It’s most likely to affect those who feel defined by their decisions, often those further up the chain of command – in accepting change they’ll need to accept that what was happening previously, on their watch as it were, was not as good.”

Here’s hoping our healthcare providers – all of them – can check their egos at the door in order to forge a better, safer future for everyone who finds their lives in a hospital’s hands.

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Here Are 2019’s Best Places to Live in America

Have you ever considered moving to Boise, Idaho by any chance? It may not have been on your radar, but you might want to consider it – at least based on these rankings from Livability.

Of course, all studies about “best places to live” and “livability” are at least somewhat subjective, but the website calculated its scores by studying 8 categories: amenities, demographics, education, economy, health care, housing, social and civic capital, and transportation and infrastructure.

The study also took affordability into account and instituted a cap on the median home value. As a result, no city on the list has a median home value above $250,000 (I’m looking at you San Francisco and Seattle).

Here are the top 20 places to live according to the report. You can see all top 100 cities by visiting the Livability website.

1. Boise, Idaho

Photo Credit: Flickr,Charles Knowles

Population: 214,196

2. Raleigh, North Carolina

Photo Credit: GoodFreePhotos

Population: 432,520

3. Madison, Wisconsin

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Population: 243,122

4. Iowa City, Iowa

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Population: 71,832

5. Rochester, Minnesota

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Population: 116,000

6. Columbia, Missouri

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Population: 115,391

7. Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Population: 164,341

8. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Population: 305,928

9. Lincoln, Nebraska

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Population: 269,726

10. Greenville, South Carolina

Photo Credit: Flickr,Mike Burton

Population: 61,734

11. Fargo, North Dakota

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Population: 113,464

12. Tampa, Florida

Photo Credit: GoodFreePhotos

Population: 355,603

13. Minneapolis, Minnesota

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Population: 399,950

14. Asheville, North Carolina

Photo Credit: Facebook,Visit Asheville

Population: 86,789

15. Bismarck, North Dakota

Photo Credit: Flickr,Andrew Filer

Population: 66,980

16. Manhattan, Kansas

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Population: 55,769

17. Orlando, Florida

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Population: 256,738

18. Tempe, Arizona

Photo Credit: Flickr,Sarina

Population: 169,816

19. Bloomington, Indiana

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Population: 82,813

20. Omaha, Nebraska

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Population: 440,034

Did your city make the cut?

What do you think of this list?

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Everyone Should Read This Twitter User’s Rules for a Successful Marriage

While movies and TV usually make it look like it’s just something that “happens,” the fact of the matter is that any successful relationship/marriage takes a lot of work. It’s all about communicating and understanding each other, and treating each other with respect.

Twitter user Ryan Stephens recently offered 6 rules that he and his wife try to follow to maintain a solid marriage.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Rule #1 is very important.

Photo Credit: Twitter

The second rule is crucial.

Photo Credit: Twitter

It’s important to be adventurous.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Support each other and be each other’s biggest fan.

Photo Credit: Twitter

DON’T KEEP SCORE.

Photo Credit: Twitter

The last item on the list might be the most important.

Photo Credit: Twitter

And keep this advice in mind.

Photo Credit: Twitter

You can read a more detailed post from Stephens’ wife about their “Six Rules to be a Good Teammate in Your Marriage” HERE.

Other Twitter users agreed with the advice.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

In fact, many people could relate.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

Photo Credit: Twitter

What do YOU think? Do you have any additional advice to make a marriage work? Share in the comments below!

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10 Cooking Hacks That Are as Useful as They Are Unusual

I’m a huge cooking enthusiast, so naturally, I’m always on the lookout for awesome new tips to up my game in the kitchen. Over the years, I’ve seen a lot of cooking hacks – some great, some terrible. This list from BuzzFeed is definitely full of some of the best ones!

1. Roast your white chocolate.

If you’re into baking, try roasting your white chocolate on a sheet pan in the oven. It turns golden and nutty.

2. Use your slow cooker as a sous vide machine.

Sous vide cooking has been all the rage amongst foodies for pretty much ever. If you’re handy and have a bit of time on your hands, you can hack your slow cooker to behave like a sous vide machine to save money on equipment.

3. Cure your egg yolks.

Photo Credit: Bon Appetit

If you want to seriously impress your next brunch guests, bury some egg yolks in a mixture of salt and sugar for a few days and then put them into the oven to dry out. The yolks become cured and firm, and you can grate them on top of other dishes.

4. Make your own cheese sauce.

Cheese sauce solves all problems. You can make your own at home with just water, cheese, and sodium citrate (a type of salt that you can buy online). Easy-peasy.

5. Cook your pasta in red wine.

Pasta and red wine go together perfectly, and apparently, you can cook them together too. Cook pasta in red wine rather than water to add flavor and color.

6. Roast your pasta before you cook it.

Photo Credit: Food 52

Whaaa?! Yes. Roasting makes the pasta nuttier and browner and adds a unique flavor. You must roast the pasta while it’s still dry for this to work.

7. Make vegan meringue with chickpea water.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

An episode of The Great British Bake-Off will confirm that this trick does, in fact, work. It’s also known as “aquafaba.” The liquid from a can of chickpeas can be whipped into meringue in place of egg whites.

8. Make instant potato chips in the microwave.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Ever too lazy to buy a bag of potato chips, but really need to eat some potato chips right that moment? If you have some potatoes on hand you can make potato chips in the microwave in a couple minutes.

Game-changer.

9. Use mayonnaise as a non-stick layer.

Coat your meat or fish with mayonnaise before you put it onto the grill, and it will prevent the food from sticking and help it cook more evenly.

10. “Ripen” your cookie dough first.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

The secret to the perfect cookies is… letting the dough sit for several days before baking it. This reportedly improves the texture.

Yum!

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15 People Talk About the Mistake That Nearly Killed Them

Have you ever had a close call with death? A situation that you shouldn’t have been in at all, and were lucky to get out of. I was in a pretty bad van accident when I was younger, and it was definitely a moment that made me take stock of my fleeting mortality.

AskReddit users opened up and shared their personal stories about big mistakes that almost cost them their lives.

1. Electric shock

“Many years ago I owned a pub.

I went upstairs to the house area to find all the lights were off. I flicked the trip switches to turn the lights back on; which they did. I then heard running water from my co owners fishtank in the lounge, turns out the protein skimmer had flipped over and was spilling water over the wall socket.

Instincively (and very stupidly) went to turn off the plug and as soon as i touched it got sent flying over the back of the sofa.

Dont know how im still alive to this day.”

2. Not very bright

“As teenagers we used to smoke pot in the garage in the car with it running for hours. No idea how we didn’t kill everyone in the house multiple times over.”

3. Dear old Dad

“My dad got trashed and tried to jump over the fence at Yankee Stadium with his friends. He failed and an iron spike punctured him. He remembers being rushed to the hospital and bleeding everywhere. Everyone thought he was going to die of blood loss. Didn’t die but he also made several more stupid mistakes such as riding a motorcycle without a helmet and breaking several ribs etc etc. Honestly he is still stupid and I’m surprised he hasn’t died yet.”

4. Iraq

“Driving over an IED in Iraq that’s battery had gone bad in the heat. If the battery was live i wouldn’t be.

Edit: a lot of people are wondering how i knew that it was there when it didn’t go off, so here is the answer to that.

I was in a rural area. I didn’t see some disturbed dirt in the dirt road that we were driving on, but my lieutenant in the passenger seat almost shit his pants because his life flashed before his eyes. He literally curled into a ball in his seat. I asked him what was up. And he said he was sure that there was something back there. We were currently escorting troop carriers to drop off a foot patrol in the middle of nowhere, so after we completed our drop off we went back on his order to check out the spot. My truck was the only one with an RF jammer, so i took the lead up to the spot my lieutenant had seen. When i say it i thought to myself, “Holy fuck, how did i not see that?” I was the “demo” guy since we didn’t have enough EOD in the area, so i went up to it, saw the pressure plate and wires. Dug it up and there is was. A battery with the battery acid all leaked out. They didn’t bury it deep enough, and it was the middle of summer.

About 130f out. Not good for the battery. Under the battery and pressure plate was a box, about the size of a footlocker filled with explosives and accelerant. If it had gone off my whole truck would have been dust. We had to do a controlled demo since EOD was busy, and after we took it out half the road had a 5 foot deep crater in it.”

5. Close call

“Pissing off a cliff, wasted on Jack Daniels. My girlfriend at the time pulled me back by my sweatshirt, or that would’ve been it.”

6. Swept away

“Climbed onto one of those underpasses that allow river water to flow through when I was like, 5. Got swept in the current and taken down the river. Only reason I survived is my dad saw my long hair barely under the current and jumped in to save me.”

7. Be careful with the laundry chute

“Playing with the laundry chute in my childhood home when I was around 5 years old. My cousins and I took turns dropping things down the chute while someone else stood at the bottom and dodged them. For the most part it was things like washcloths, stuffed animals, a clothing item, etc.

Just so happened that when I stood under the chute, my cousin dropped a 5 lb dumbbell down and I, expecting something harmless, didn’t get out of the way. That ended the game real quick. I now part my hair in a way that hides the bald spot scar on my head.”

8. Actually died

“I fell down my friends basement stairs when I was 8 (hit my head on the concrete floor) and ended up being airlifted to a major city hospital after being knocked out and still screaming. Ended waking up a couple days later and found out I was missing a tooth and I was told that as they were putting a breathing tube in, it knocked my tooth down my throat which scared the docs more. But I was super happy cause I payed melee for the first time in the game room and ate jellow for meals.

Turns out that I was actually in a comatose state and gradually got worse over 48 hours until I had 0 brain activity for about 6 minutes. So I guess I did die but I didn’t find out from my family till afterwards, because who tells an 8 yr old that they died.”

9. Big mistake

“3 years old. Love M&Ms. Find blue ones behind stove. Yum.

Rat poison.”

10. Toilet accident

“Carrying a toilet by myself after having painted the bathroom. Got caught up in the drop cloth and fell on the toilet smashing it and a piece of the porcelain cut into my knee. My father was there with me and immediately took me to the hospital as the bleeding was pretty decent.

The doctor told me that the piece missed an artery by 1/4” and that if I had been a smaller man I’d have bled out before I made it to the hospital. Being a very large man (6’2” and 350lbs at the time) saved my life.”

11. Joe vs. The Volcano

“I nearly fell into a f*cking volcano leaning on a rope fence

Edit: Holy sh*t this comment blew up. Right, more context, I was 8-9 at the time, and I managed to catch myself on that same fence after I nearly keeled over it (I never let go of stuff when I fall). This was in Italy, hence the lack of actual safety procedures.”

12. Skateboarding accident

“This was 13 years ago. I was skateboarding with some buddies at a busy shopping center. A few minutes before leaving, we were waiting at a crosswalk to cross the street. One of my friends takes off running across the crosswalk, and my other buddies follow suit. So I took off as well. I was not even paying attention to the light, but the lane crossing the crosswalk was on a green light.

My two friends in front were in the clear, but myself and one of my other friends were both hit by a Uhaul truck (yes really, trust me I got shit for YEARS about getting hit by a huge, bright orange truck) going probably 40-45mph. My friend in front of me didn’t get hit too bad. I got hit square in the chest. I had no clue at the time what even had happened. I was running, then I was on the ground in a daze, no pain, and I even got up and instinctually ran back to the sidewalk that I had come from. No clue I’d been hit by a truck, I was more just like what in the fuck just happened.

A nurse that was at the light came and helped me, told me what had happened and helped me stay calm. She asked if I was having trouble breathing. I was. But it was attributed to me having asthma. Later found out it was because both of my lungs were punctured.

Anyways, the ambulance shows up. I’m holding up very well, no clue why. Kinda just thinking okay damn I must have gotten super lucky. I’m conscious, talking fine, no biggie. They only had one bed in the ambulance, so my buddy was lying on it, and I was sitting hunched over on the bench for the ride (I wish I was joking). We get to the hospital, and I try to pull myself up to get out of the ambulance.

And I can’t, my shoulders hurt way too bad. The EMS guys tell me I probably dislocated my shoulder and that I’ll just have to get it popped in and before I know it I’ll be back home. Once inside, WE GET PUT IN THE WAITING ROOM. No I am not joking. We had skateboards with us, and the desk people had no clue. They assumed we just fell on our skateboards or something.

So I’m still feeling pretty good, other than some sore shoulders, just chilling there watching wheel of fortune. When all of a sudden I start feeling super clammy and disorientied. I remember hearing my mom screaming “HE’S GOING INTO SHOCK”, and then next thing I know I’m being wheeled down a bunch of hallways. It was like in shows where it’s a blur of those florescent lights just flashing overhead one at a time.

I start having severe pain. Like the worst pain you could imagine. But I can’t be given an painkillers yet, because I have to go through a bunch of tests first. I’d assume these tests should have been done right when I got there, but what do I know. The one I really remember is having to be picked up off of the bed and put onto one of the machines that required I be on my back. They had people grab each corner of the sheet from the bed that I was on to move me onto it. I remember it kind of squishing my shoulders inward a bit and holy shiiiiiiiiit that was the worst pain I’ve ever felt.

Anyways, after a ton of tests, it’s found out that both of my lungs are punctured. Both of my collar bones are snapped in half. Broken ribs. Cracked sternum. Concussion. The works. Ended up spending the next couple weeks in ICU.

They didn’t have any hospital beds open for me at the time so I actually ended up being transferred to a children’s hospital. It was fucking sweet. People came and sang to me and brought me teddy bears n shit. And I was just jacked up on morphine watching Lord of Rings all the time.

But yeah it was a pretty tough recovery, and I went from just hanging out with a smile on my face to a scary place real quick. I went to a world-renowned clavicle specialist at Duke Medical for my collar bones. He normally had an insanely long wait list, but apparently when he found out that I broke both at the same time he was willing to see me ASAP.

He told me that he’d only ever had a few patients that broke both at the same time, because the force required to do so almost always resulted in death. But eventually I got better, full recovery. Was a bit of a hypochondriac for a while, and was scared to cross the street for awhile. But other than that, no biggie.”

13. Always wear a helmet

“Not wearing a helmet while on a bicycle and stupidly turning left just as a car overtook me.

Somehow I only got a neat scar through my eyebrow and some torn up kneecaps from it. But the look on my mother’s face when she picked me up from the hospital…That made me realise how profoundly stupid I was that day.

Edit: I did make a turn signal with my arm, but the driver apparently didn’t see it. He later went over to the hospital to ask if I was OK and to apologise for hitting me.”

14. Tangled up

“Tubing behind a speedboat. Pulled myself too far forward. It submarined and popped up in the air. I was flung forward and got tangled in the towrope.”

15. The garage door

“Retensioning a garage door spring and the tension tool popped out. The door crashed with enough force to crack the pavement.

Edit: had no idea so many others have died doing this. Going forward would never do this again.”

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Sorry, Parents: Your Sleep-Deprivation is Here to Stay At Least Until Your Youngest Hits Kindergarten

Everyone knows that part of being a parent is not getting nearly enough sleep. When you bring a baby into your home you can kiss your regular 8 hours of beauty rest a night goodbye.

While some may think they’ll catch up on sleep eventually like once the baby starts sleeping all night, the science is in and…that’s just not true.

In fact, the science says it will take six whole years before parents get a decent night’s sleep after having a baby.

Image Credit: Pixabay

It seems hard to believe – sure, night feedings end fairly quickly (in retrospect), but kids are sick and they have nightmares and they wake up for no apparent reason and need a drink or to come sleep in your bed. Parenting is 24/7, and we know that, but researchers were still caught a bit off guard.

Study co-author Sakari Lemola, a psychology professor at the University of Warwick, commented in The Guardian:

“We didn’t expect to find that, but we believe that there are certainly many changes in the responsibilities you have.”

Previous research estimated that parents lose about 44 days of sleep during their child’s first year of life, with mothers being hit harder than fathers. That said, more and more fathers are accepting larger parenting roles and, as they often go back to work sooner, have fewer opportunities to nap during the day.

Image Credit: Pixabay

This study tracked the sleep of 2541 moms and 2118 dads over the course of six years. They parents reported births of children, as well as how well they slept on weeknights versus weekends. Women experienced the most lost sleep during baby’s first year, reporting a 1.7 point decline in sleep quality after their first children and another 1 point decline after the birth of each subsequent child. On average, moms lost about 40 minutes of sleep per night in that first year, and in the first three months they lost over an hour. Comparatively, dads lost only 13 minutes of sleep per night during their first year of parenthood.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Regardless of the differences, it took up to 6 years for both men and women to return to their normal sleep schedule after having a child. The results were also similar regardless of income, whether or not both parents worked, and single parenting.

There is a reason that sleep-deprivation is used as a torture device, and more than a few health reasons parents should be concerned – and take care to minimize the effects of a poor night’s sleep on their life and body.

Insufficient sleep is associated with car accidents, poor concentration and performance at work, increased illness, weight gain, and a higher risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Image Credit: Pixabay

Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot you can do about it when you’ve got small children; if your little one needs you in the middle of the night you can’t really tell them to go piss up a rope and roll over.

But researchers did make a few suggestions.

“For parents, lifestyle management strategies might include stress management, exercise, enlisting help from family and friends and seeking the guidance of professionals such as therapists or physicians when needed.”

“Families benefit from prioritizing healthy sleep – this can be accomplished through limited caffeine intake, having a consistent and calming evening routine, keeping the bedroom dark, and reducing exposure to bright screens such as cell phones, tablets, and TVs close to bedtime.”

And take heart, mamas and daddies – six years will go by in a flash.

The post Sorry, Parents: Your Sleep-Deprivation is Here to Stay At Least Until Your Youngest Hits Kindergarten appeared first on UberFacts.