Map of iowa state parks

what the title says, I know some states never had a show and a few only 1-2, so pick the closest to where you live. Europeans of course get in and others from places in the world they never visited you're welcome also, just pick a go to
I'd have to go with 12/12/1990 as mine simply because it was my first show. Pretty decent show shortly after Brent passed and with Hornsby on keys and accordion made for a fun night

Hi everyone. I have been interviewing 4 agents in the area and kind of stuck on who to hire and wanted to get some opinions.

1. Agent 1: Friend used this agent and highly recommended. However, agent is not the expert in my local area but she serves in the entire state. She is willing to travel 1.5 hr to accompany me in showings and all. Been an agent for >20 years. Independent agent. She was very attentive and patient with my friend. However, agent recommended waiving inspection but also had strategies to protect the buyer with things like purchasing home warranty.
2. Agent 2: Her flyers and profile states that she is one of top agents in from 2018-2020 in my area. She knows the area well. She has a team and has a showing agent. If she is not available, she will be using the showing agent. Showing agent wasn't at the interview but once we move on to the next step, main agent will be creating group chat and set meeting so that all three of us can be present. Been an agent for 8 years. She asked for the names of the agents that I have interviewed so far, which made me kind of uncomfortable but I honestly answered the question. On paper, she looks like she is closing 25-30 houses every year (seller and buyer combined). She claimed 85% of her buyer's first offer gets accepted and 95% of second offers get accepted.
3. Agent 3: One of the first agents that I met at open house. She knows the area really well as well. Her kids grew up in the area and lives in the town that I am interested in. Been an agent for almost 7 years herself. However, she stated that her parents are both agents as well and she knows the ins and outs by learning from her parents. Independent agent. She was the only agent that I met at open houses that were representing the sellers, usually another agent that is not representing the sellers are present at the open houses and showed that she knew the house well. Does not recommend waiving inspection even in current market.

I am a first time home buyer, who is purchasing in an area that is still very competitive. People are often payching 20k to 100k over asking price and often waiving inspection. Kind of overwhelmed with the initial process of even finding the right agent.
If you can share your experience or recommend what type of agent to work with, I will be very grateful.

The email states among other things:

Capita have identified from their investigations that personal data was “exfiltrated” (i.e., accessed and/or copied) by the hackers. The information accessed includes your title, initial(s), and name, your date of birth, your National Insurance number, your USS member number and your retirement date.

They've offered a year's "free" subscription to an Experian subsidiary, and have "promised to support you [my friend]". This isn't good enough as far we're concerned: what are your thoughts?

It seems like life/the universe/whatever is against me. It literally feels like I was a born to lose. I’m so freaking awkward and I have so much anxiety that I can’t function like a normal human being. I overthink and over analyze everything I say/do. I feel like I can’t just be authentic and go with the flow because I’m also thinking about what to say and how to fit in. Alcohol used to help and I found that certain people in my life preferred me on alcohol because I become more outgoing and less introverted when intoxicated. It doesn’t even help anymore because I fell like I get too drunk to the point where I become obnoxious. I worry about how I act even when I’m drunk. Anxiety has followed me even in my drunk state. On top of that I deal with crippling depression. I’ve missed several days of work because of it, I self sabotage and talking positively about myself seems forced. I was born with a life long incurable genetical illness and I have horrible luck with building relationships of any type. I lose the interest of anyone who is romantically into me after a few months. I have a ton of goals, but cannot seem to get started on them which is why my partner of 7 years left me. I have a horrible relationship with my parents and the rest of my family. I barely have friends and the ones I do have care don’t care a bout me as much as I care about them and they all have partners or other friends they hold above me. I try to put myself out there in regards to dating, but I get embarrassed all of the time. I’m not at the too of the beauty standard. I have a nice body(so I’ve been told) but my race and features put me at a disadvantage. I really want to die, all of the time. I see a therapist somewhat frequently(some weeks more consistently than others) but I feel like I can’t be super honest and I feel like she judges me too. I really want to die and I think I’m destined to end my own life.

Everytime I start the Judy quest, then do Takemuras and then Panam, finishing with Map Tann Pelen. Map Tann Pelen just feels so final, and ive always found the idea of looking for other options regarding the chip after discovering Alt and the Mikoshi solution kinda dumb. How do you guys play it ?

I’ve recently gotten a ps5, and wanted to use my psvr on it, and discovered that I needed a camera adapter. I placed my first order with one of my two vr serial numbers, and it hasn’t arrived yet. I never saw my country (United States) on the list, so I left it blank. Some month or two later it has yet to arrive. Certain I made a mistake that I was too tired to notice, I returned to the website and entered in my serial number again, and am still unable to find the United States in the list of countries. Is it available for the shipping of the adapter or do I have to purchase one elsewhere?

A few items for sale today. The Mac2 and Glykon are brand new, and I am the first owner – never carried, sharpened, dismantled, or fidgeted with. The GT Recon is in great condition but is not new. All ship in their original factory packaging. Updated Timestamp.
Due to tax law changes, prices are PayPal FF with no comments (fees and shipping to lower Continental USA states included in sell price). Sorry but not trading today. Just too many knives in my collection.
McNees Mac2 3.5” matte blue sonic pattern scales with 3.5” Magnacut blade. Arrived today from a drop earlier this week, but the stonewash is too much for me. Returning it is an option, but then the vendor is out the shipping so selling it to cover costs and postage. Pictures and Video. SV565.00
Microtech Glykon OTF. I had to have it so bought it - but can’t carry it and decided to part with it. Brand new. Pictures and Video. SV495.00
Guardian Tactical Recon 035, DLC Elmax blade, Red Ano frame. I am the first owner and it has never been carried or used to cut with. But is has been handled, House of Blades put a polished edge on it for me, and I opened it to oil the bearing under the slider. Good condition with minor signs of handling and opening/closing. Pictures and Video. SV189.00

Hi there, I just bought a hismith premium and wanted to see if there was anyone interested in me using it on you. Got an assortment of dildos to choose from and other toys. I'm near Hermann park btw

Just wondering what the protocol here is… I am at the end of my term and need to return my phone or pay the remaining balance on the tab. Within the first year, the phone malfunctioned and was completely replaced under Apple warranty.
When I went to Rogers to return my phone they refused to take it back, stating something was fishy as the serial number was different. I showed them my Genius Bar receipt that shows the full warranty and serial number of the old and replacement phone. They kept insinuating that it was potentially stolen and they couldn’t take it back. Any suggestions ?

I’m my son’s payee representative. I received a letter stating he has been overpaid since 2010 and that I owe 79k. During that time whenever they claimed they overpaid they would withhold his benefits until satisfied. We were always adjusting his work hours to make sure he is ok. They reach back 13 years and come to the amount I have to repay. When this is over I’m getting out of the representative payee biz. But there is no way I can repay. I’m retired. Fixed income and don’t work. I’m stressed out. I haven’t called anyone yet because this is the weekend. Just got the news.

i made a post recently about moving back to ny in the next 10 ish years.... turns out, the move might be happening a lot sooner!
we've narrowed it down to threeish counties (orange, ulster, and greene) based on property tax %, while also being in the area we want to be (south of albany, north of highland falls). we'll be going to see some family over the july 4th weekend and plan on driving up and back down through the hudson, with strategic stops along the way!
what we're looking for:
- a "small town feel" without the small town ignorance
- easy access to the hudson line/amenities
- affordable land (we plan to build our own place for pseudo homesteading)
-we will both be WFH, so internet options are pretty crucial. we will also be driving as little as feasibly possible, ideally... but that's always a bit circumstantial.
​
where we plan to stop (primarily dog parks, maybe a brewery or winery) :
- walden
- athens/coxsackie
- cornwall/newburgh
-deciding between marlboro and plattekill
​
tell me, anywhere we should look that we haven't looked into yet? are any of those places less than ideal? (note: i know newburgh is rated the worst place in NYS, arguable the country. however... after having lived in rochester and now baltimore, i feel like it sincerely cannot be worse. i know there/s always good areas and bad areas).
tia!

"Great Days And Glorious Victory! My Name is Spifflemonk aaand welcome to my Letsplay! Today we will be celebrating the recent release of many games to the open market by Humans with a game that was recommended to me many times by my work colleague. Hats off to you Jerry! Today we will start with a game called: Factorio. Okay... Apparently it is a resource management and automation game with a simple graphics component. Let's check some of the reviews."
*Spifflemonk looks at some of the reviews for the game and grows disturbed and confused.*
"Erm.. hmm... Is this a human thing? These reviews are all positive but... all of them say the same thing. The last maybe two hundred reviews all say a different iteration of the same thing. Is this a joke or... am I getting into something bad here?"
*Spiffles screen displays a short scroll of the latest reviews. All of them say something along the lines of: THE FACTORY MUST GROW*
"Well, okay then. I know this game does have mods, I looked earlier to test my game settings and recording software. I will be ignoring all of that for now and focusing only on the 'vanilla' experience, is what the humans call it? I think... Okay well lets get started erm... New Game... Sandbox... oh... this looks complicated. Just go default settings and start."
*The game screen loads fast and the introduction sequence plays, starting with the sound of explosions and a bleep noise, explaining how to win the game. Victory is achieved by launching a rocket with either a satellite or the player in it.*
"So... from what I can tell here, the player, that's this little guy here, needs to build a factory to make rockets to get back into space after crash landing. Okay, how hard can that be?"
*The following hour of gameplay takes place with Spifflemonk learning the controls of the game, getting used to the graphics and doing some exploring. Eventually he actually gets to work, placing his first miner down, and putting his first stone smelter next to it. He spends a few minutes clearing boulders and trees in his crash site and slowly accumulates resources enough to add more miners, eventually setting up his first belt line and assembler after the first hour.*
"Right then! That's good uh... According to this I need to do research by making Science Packs? Okay so... I need to automate red science because hand crafting is.... very slow. Very very slow. Okay then uhh... Iron Gears and Copper plates? That's easy! I will just..."
*Another twenty minutes pass by, seemingly a bit too fast as he finishes hand crafting the first fifty Red Science. Depositing a few of them into a science lab and looking at what research is available.*
"Hmmm... Automation. That's going first, I can build assemblers now. After that maybe... Logistics? What's this? Belt Splitters, Underground Belts and Inserters? Oh look, power generation, that will be needed! I will start with...."
*Two hours pass without Spifflemonks notice as he upgrades and improves, adding production lines to automate the construction of Red Science packs. Finally unlocking Green Science packs.*
"Oohhh this gets a LOT more complicated... I need a mix of multiple resources to make these. Iron Gears, Copper Plates, Iron Plates... Green Circuits?! Where do I get those?! Oh... So... this goes here and that can go..."
*A further forty minutes pass when SpiffleMonk begins to panic as a red triangle with an exclamation point appears on his screen, indicating his factory is taking damage.*
"What? WHAT!? What's that red thing, is that some kind of alarm!? Okay uhh... let me just go see what it is then."
*Spifflemonk hastily runs towards the noise to find the games enemies: the Bug Hives of Nauvis attacking his Copper mines.*
"What are those things? AAHH STOP EATING MY MINERS!!! Oh gods oh gods where.. do i have a weapon or... I do have a gun! Okay uhhh... Shoot!"
*Spiffle fumbles but eventually finds the shoot button, and three of the six aliens chewing on his base get killed. He does however run out of ammunition for his simple pistol, and the aliens redirect their attention to his character.*
"What? Why isn't it firi-I'm out of bullets? This needs bullets?! Wait, wait NO-"
*A group of six aliens attack him and kill his character, resulting in a game over screen. The game automatically deletes his save file, as the difficulty is set to hardcore.*
"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"
*His channel outro plays.*
TOP COMMENT: "THE FACTORY MUST GROW."
__________________________________________
"Great Days And Glorious Victory! My Name is Spifflemonk aaand welcome to my Letsplay! Today we are going to try Factorio out again. Last time did not go well. BUT I have a better knowledge about the game and one of the first things I know to do is make ammunition! I know Im not alone here this time so I can prepare for it. Lets play!"
*Game starts with the same settings as the previous time, Spifflemonk wastes no time and clears the local area of trees and rocks and immediately starts automation as quickly as he can. Within two hours, he is roughly close to where he was when he got killed last time.*
"Right! I looked more at the research options and found better gun, better bullets and automated ammo production. As you can see, its green science, red science and as you can see, the first few bits of Military science are just coming off the assembly line. I was told from the last comments... aside from the crazy chanting... I needed to get walls, gun turrets and other things, and try not to pick a fight."
*Spifflemonk continues gameplay for a further hour or so before that all too familiar signal blares, the red triangle with an exclamation mark appears.*
"AHA!!! Now we will see who's the boss in this factory! Have at thee!"
*Spifflemonk heads towards the target and encounters a group of eight enemies, who he easily deals with. After replacing tw destroyed miners, he resumes working and begins to automate oil processing.*
"What is oil in this game? Is it like balm oil or something? Do humans use handwashing agents as industrial machinery? What is oil in this... hold on let me see something..."
*Spifflemonk pauses his gameplay and reads out an article on crude oil and fossil fuel industry, then a follow up article on plastic.*
"Plastic... and petroleum. Well thats... okay. Well we have something similar but we generally used hydrogen and stuff. I don't even know if my homeworld has the same... we never needed it. We mostly use ceramics and stuff as well as silicon based industry so... we don't have plastic in our industry. Wood and a sort of bitumen substance is the closest we have to your human coal and we have no crude oil processing at all so... no plastic. Is that why human circuitry processing is so cheap? Plastics?"
*Spifflemonk makes a note to do some research later on and carries on with automation. Eventually about an hour or so after starting to produce plastic bars, the alert sound rings ut again and Spifflemonk charges out to meet the new enemy.*
"Okay let's go! I'm still making bullets and guns so I should be HOLY CRAP!"
*Spifflemonk arrives and is swarmed by an army of around three dozen or so enemies, and is killed while attempting to run away. Once again, his save is still in hardcore mode, so he dies, a game over screen occurs, and his save is deleted.*
"FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-"
*The gameplay ends and Spiffles outro plays out as normal. However it seems as though the audio wasn't properly edited and a number of seriously bad curse words and slurs can be faintly heard in the background.*
TOP COMMENT: "Hardcore mode? I think you should turn it off in your gameplay settings dude. Hardcore mode is something players of only like maybe 150 hours or more would attempt. In any case, good effort! Build walls, turrets, get secured asap next time. Subbed and liked!"
_______________________________________________________
"Great Days And Glorious Victory! My Name is Spifflemonk aaand welcome to my Letsplay! Today it's going to be Factorio again!"
*The channel intro plays and the screen cuts to a factory that seems already built.*
"On the recommendation of some of my subscribers, thank you all by the way, I have turned hardcore mode off and started building walls and defenses. This game looked so stupidly simple I had no idea just how... intricate it really is. So this time instead of taking you all through the long and boring i have pre buit my base and as you can see I have started producing the first batches of Blue Science, and have here something humans have in real life apparently: Trains!"
*A quick overview of the base is shown, followed by a short montage of the bases construction. A blueprint is outlined for later construction that produces Purple Science and logistics robots, along with a side factory that makes various other things such as belts and assemblers. The factory however, is a mess made of spaghetti, with obvious bottlenecks and mishmashes of belts.*
"I think i'm getting the hang of this game! Okay so, let's go see what we can do. And before you ask, yes I have already died twice while building this place."
*An hour or so of gameplay follows, with Spiffle checking and rechecking his factory, adding bits here and there, putting more belts in, and having a short pseudo aneurysm while figuring out the intricacies of the blueprint upgrader before finally arriving at his newly built train.*
"According to humans and the Factorio guide, trains are a long term, long range logistics solution that replaces belts across long distances. Humans apparently had these things for hundreds of years, in real life. They still operate today apparently, you can find a few of these 'railway networks' on Earth and other colonies. This will be the first time we use one. I had no idea how to automate this so I had to watch a guide so, don't judge me. So... let's go!"
*Spifflemonk enters the train and opens the UI to start the automation sequence. The train spools up then charges round corners at breakneck speeds and arrives at a train stop for a Stone Mine several miles away from his main base. As instructed in the guide, the train loads up on stone and once full, charges back at blistering speed back to his main base. He is a little bit too giddy at the result."
"WHY DON'T WE HAVE THESE!? That was amazing! No seriously, Council of Elders, ask the humans if we can borrow some of their trains. This would have solved SO many problems back in the day! SO many problems! Look how much this thing can carry!"
*Gameplay stops, Spifflemonks Outro plays. The next video he releases is a two and a half hour long video essay entitled: "Why we need to beg humans for trains' and receives nearly half a billion views.*
TOP COMMENT: "Seriously? You guys dont have trains? I'd love to know how that actually worked for you guys to get to space or do mass transit. I can recommend a few games if you want."
__________________________________________________________
"Great Days And Glorious Victory! My Name is Spifflemonk aaand welcome to my Letsplay! Today we are back with: You guessed it, Factorio! Last time was a solid... month I think between that episode and my last upload. That was because I was trying out a train for myself! I went to the human colony of Epsilon Eridani nearby and tried a train. Best thing ever. Why don't we have those? Anyway, today on Factorio it's time for expansion!"
*Spifflemonks intro plays and a further overview of the factory is played, showing a separated train network with multiple railway sections with up to 30 trains running at once. Further advancements have been made, with a series of blueprints laid out and half completed for the production of yellow science.*
"As you can see I did some off camera work here. I do read your comments, I will try to make my videos, especially on these games, slightly shorter. And also, I checked the reviews again. I'm starting to understand where you are coming from. Factory must grow. From players with upwards of two thousand hours. With how short lived humans are you'd expect the to not spend two thousand hours playing a game, now would you."
*Sheepishly displays his own time of one hundred and thirty four hours, before returning to the game*
"So anyway. Today, as far as I can tell from the research queue, is the last day we will play as I am not that far off from-"
*Spifflemonk is interrupted by several attack alerts, noticing on his map that there are several attacks going at once across his frontline. Spiffle assumes all is well and ignores it. A minute later, he starts noticing that Copper production has stopped, and looks up again at his mining outpost to notice there is a truly MASSIVE biter army overwhelming and obliterating everything there. He panics and subsequently dies six times trying to take the biters out.*
*In the ensuing chaos Spifflemonks base is seriously damaged with Green circuits and Blue circuit factories being destroyed, part of his ammo production line is cut and four of his trains destroyed too. The entire north and north east face of his base is completely destroyed. The equivalent of twelve hours of work lost, to the tune of maybe another thirty minutes to an hour of replacing everything the biters destroyed.*
"Thats... thats just plain evil! How am... how am I supposed to beat that!? There were thousands of them! Okay, screw this, I am reloading a save!"
*Spifflemonk reloads the save and tries again. He redirects his attention to strengthening his defenses, doubling the number of turrets and strengthening his defensive line. The biters attack again, and this time Spiffle barely, very barely, makes it out with no major losses.*
"This is insane... absolutely insane! Okay... I get it. I need more guns. The rocket will have to wait I guess. So what do i- Flamethrower turret? What's a flamethrower?"
*Spifflemonk looks up the concept, unfortunately clicking on the wrong link and showing what flamethrowers were used for in the Vietnam war and World War Two. He has a slight panic attack and ends the video there.*
TOP COMMENT: Save Scumming is a legitimate tactic when you are a new guy. No issues dude, fight on. And flamethrowers? Yeah... did you know there's a thing called Incendiary Bombs? That's fun!
________________________________________
"Great Days And Glorious Victory! My Name is Spifflemonk aaand welcome to my Letsplay! Today we are back in Factorio. I have sent a special message to the Council about… Flamethrowers… and yes they scare me too. So today its more Factorio. I have done some off camera work so we can skip straight to the point. Seventeen hours later… I am starting to understand why some people have upwards of a thousand hours in this game. Why does it seem to… Anyway.”
*The channel intro plays and an overview of the factory is shown, with the last shot ending with Spifflemonk standing next to the Launch Silo for the endgame rocket. It isn't ready for launch yet, but it appears all the components are where they need to be.*
“Okay then, uhh… here we go!”
*Spifflemonk connects the last belt line to where it needs to be and resources begin to flow. He follows the connection to a series of a dozen assemblers, oil refineries, chemical processors and explains as he goes to tell the viewer what each machine set does. After a few minutes, the first Rocket Control Components have been made and the progress on the silo goes up.*
“It is a little slow but thats okay, room to expand and grow! In any case, this should be done shortly. OOhhh look at that!”
*Spifflemonk watches with the depression of a kid in a candy store with an unlimited budget as the animation plays of the rocket emerging from its silo.*
“Well… uhh… I assume I enter it just like the train I guess…”
*Spiffle enters and launches the rocket. The endgame scene plays, and Spiffle earns some steam achievements for the game.*
“YES!!! YES BY THE GODS YES!!! Finally! I am finished! OH… how long did it take to finish my first - A HUNDRED AND EIGHTY FOUR HOURS!? How… How is it possible this game took so much of my attention?!Uhh… Wow. So.. I guess mods are next. Any suggestions in the comments? Thanks for watching!”
*The channel outro plays as Spiffle stares blankly at the screen showing his playtime with the game.*
TOP COMMENT: Only a hundred and eighty hours? Dude, rookie numbers. You should try mods next time. Just quality of life stuff like stack sizes or Supersonic Trains. Then, after you've launched a couple more rockets - go for broke and install the Space Exploration modpack. THAT… that modpack is pure agony.

When I train, the trainer has me going against an older kid who is best in the State for his age. He’s quicker than me, more skilled, and just understands how to play. He’s actually kind of insane with his skill level. We do king of the court and he’s tearing me up, but he keeps us paired. If someone else is about to line up against him, he switches us. I was mad after workout and he said that he’s never going to stop doing it. He says this is how growth happens, but I said he’s too quick and skilled for me to win. He said it’s “me vs me” and that the goal is to get better, but that only happens if my focus is proper. How do I avoid getting pissed over losing?

• Server Name: The Crucible [Heavy RP-PvP, Dark Setting, Professions, Consequences]
• Server Region/Type: [US EC] , RP-PvP
• DISCORD: https://discord.gg/9zRAnugsDG
• Server Lore: General Conan Setting
• Age Restriction: 18+ [Adult themes throughout]

Now is the time to join as the struggle begins! New Clans are forming... alliances are being built... enemies plot and scheme. Will you join and help shape the story?
Core principles of The Crucible server can be summarized by four words - Immersion, Conflict, Lore, Survival.
We strive to create a committed, uncompromising roleplay server, focused on delivering an in-depth and authentic experience. For that goal we created a place where those who value character depth, consequence, true survival roleplay and community-building might find a home. Character Professions are currently being built and tweaked to make your own experience unique to you.

• What we offer:
  • NPC factions and Quests
  • Player Antag Group [The Picts!]
  • A player-driven narrative and economy
  • A custom-built character profession system that drives player interdependency
  • RP Sorcery Application to keep it scarce
  • Focus on conflict and scarcity, with a realistic struggle to survive forcing you to consider the consequences of your character's actions
  • A friendly community
  • Custom RR Character sheet (currently under development with player input)
  • PvP Consequences supported by a built in LFD system
  • Progression Rules to assist in immersion and time
  • Active Admin staff running faction events

Server Information: • Server Type: PC / 18+ RP PVP / Medium fantasy / Text-based / USEC location • Map: The Exiled Lands • Key settings: Drop on Death with AHDS / No purge / No avatars / Chars start at 60 / Bodies do not stay in the world
Mod List:https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2958892801

Hey y'all, I am applying for licensure in a new state (already licensed in 1 state). I recently resigned from my position on not-great terms with my previous SP - nothing I did wrong, I had issues with how the SP was operating the practice. The new state license I am applying for says they require a form to be filled out by all previous SPs; questions on the form ask if I am reliable, professional, ethical, of good character, etc. Again, there were no incidents that occurred while I was working at my previous position, but my previous SP is very petty and I know they would put no for some of those questions.
That aside, would it be appropriate to not have my previous SP fill out this form? This was my first job out of school and I was only there ~4 months. I would instead have my PA program director fill out the form. Idk how strict the licensing boards are about having an SP fill it out

When I train, the trainer has me going against an older kid who is best in the State for his age. He’s quicker than me, more skilled, and just understands how to play. He’s actually kind of insane with his skill level. We do king of the court and he’s tearing me up, but he keeps us paired. If someone else is about to line up against him, he switches us. I was mad after workout and he said that he’s never going to stop doing it. He says this is how growth happens, but I said he’s too quick and skilled for me to win. He said it’s “me vs me” and that the goal is to get better, but that only happens if my focus is proper. How do I avoid getting pissed over losing?

Let me explain...
I have a 37 year old stuffed rabbit that I am very emotionally bonded to. I am 28 and my bunny was made in 1986. This exact stuffed animal has been obviously discontinued and cant be replaced at all. Especially not mine, which has been with me for as long as I can remember. I have carried her through my entire life: through my parents divorce at 5 years old, moving from city to city and every time I travelled between their homes always in my bag, traveling with me but subsequently immediately back home when I went to bootcamp (although it broke my heart), inmediately reaquiring my bunny when I was out of bootcamp and onto advanced training, traveling with me across states, different commands, different boyfriends, always with me. After such a life stuck close to my side, bunny has definitely become worn out to say the least. If bunny wasnt worn out just from age and use sleeping next to me for so many nights, what I tell you next absolutely would not help, the complete opposite.
When I was very young, my sister and I fought so much that she became increasingly sadistic and violent. One day while we were fighting she locked me out of my home on the front porch and she knew exactly what to do to hurt me. She took my bunny and held her up in front of the window for me to see as she stabbed it repeatedly over and over in different areas. I was horrified and screamed and cried as I couldnt do anything besides property damage (which wouldve caused even more abuse from her and my father) to get inside to save my beloved friend from being totally destroyed. She eventually unlocked the door and tossed my broken bunny to me. I only recently learned to sew while in the military and Im still not good at it to this day. So since that day when I was young, I tried my best to handle her with care while still taking her nearly everywhere with me. I have been very sensitive to this incident due to it being traumatic to me and only have told a few people in my life. I felt like I let down my only bestfriend ive ever had and I dont think ill ever be ready to put my bunny away out of fear of feeling like ive given up and turned away, as I am so afraid of feeling due to my trauma.
This all being said, I am very lucky to have found the love of my life that accepts bunny and I. He understands what bunny means to me and that I require it every night to sleep peacefully. He still will occasionally tease my bunny, calling it "spaghetti" and informing others of this joke, such as friends that will react in disgust or amusement of the realization of the state of my closest companion. Today, I was sitting on the couch playing my switch with bunny by my side. I had to use the bathroom so I left for just a few minutes but came back out to my partner... shaking my bunny violently and carelessly. I stood in the hallway in horror and very quickly shut down and reverted to a childlike state. I asked what he was doing and he said he was shaking it off because his dog had sat on top of it while I was gone in the bathroom. I held my bunny close to my heart and tried to calm myself as he chided me stating "your bunny is ok." I know my bunny doesnt really feel anything mentally or physically but as an empath and neurodivergent on top of the traumatic experience from my childhood, my heart is so upset. The rough handling can cause the remaining seams to break and unravel completely which would force me to put my bunny away for good, which I dont think Im ready for yet still. My partner knows how much my stuffed animal means to me and how gently I hold and handle it. So why he thinks roughly shaking with no regard to the consequences is completely beyond me.
I had a shut down as I witnessed the incident and I am currently huddled up under a blanket isolating myself as he hectors on about that he doesnt know what he did wrong and I am overreacting. But I am genuinely hurt. Does anyone have any comments, similar stories, or tips on how to repair a stuffed animal with great care? Id greatly appreciate anything anyone has.
Thank you.
Please dont judge me too hard! I think stuffed animals as an adult should be entirely normalized for no other reason than they are some of our longest friends.