A question for the home brewers out there who know a lot of chem. One of the biggest problems with home brewing is verifying that the raw active ingredients you order are in fact what you ordered. You order estradiol enanthate or some other ingredient from a manufacturer, and an unknown white powder shows up at your door. There are crude testing methods available like the melting point test, but they are limited. There are also testing services like janoshik out there, but they're expensive and involve shipping samples internationally. With shipping, testing a single specimen with a service like janoshik can be $100-$200.

I know dedicated dedicated optical spectrophotometers like these exist. While accurate, these units are big, bulky, expensive, and not really suitable for the kinds of simple compact labs home brewers use.

I stumbled across this video describing a little cheap spectrometer available from a small shop in China. The videos I can find of it only show measuring the spectra of various light bulbs. However, I'm wondering if it's possible to use such a device to measure the purity of specimens of estradiol enanthate and other HRT medications.

I'm not an expert in spectrometry by any means, but I am aware of the general process. With a dedicated desktop spectrophotometer, you create a calibration/standard curve by measuring the spectrum of solutions of different concentrations prepared with a sample of known purity. Then you use that curve to measure the concentration of your unknown specimen.

But the big desktop units are designed from the ground up to do this. You place solutions in dedicated transparent cuvettes. Everything is in a single fixed unit designed for this purpose.

But is it possible to do something similar using just a simple spectrometer? Could you maybe buy such a spectrometer, bolt it to a surface, and cobble together some means of holding a cuvette? If you could fix the cuvette, light source, and detector a fixed distances from each other, then perhaps you could use such a device to cobble together a basic simple optical spectrophotometer?

Would this actually work? My thought is that while this wouldn't be the most accurate spectrophotometer out there, ultimately it doesn't matter. The goal of testing raws is not to measure their concentration to four significant figures. The goal is simply to verify you have the right compound and to ensure that it hasn't been cut with fillers. Even if such a setup had an error rate of a few percent, this would still be perfectly acceptable for raws testing.

I hope I'm explaining this question well enough. I'm really just wondering if a simple cheap usb spectrometer like this one here could be used or modified into a device that can measure raws concentrations.

Hello /c/traaaaaaannnnnnnnnns, I hope this is the right place for this kind of post. I'm apart of a leftist LGBTQ discord and recently become acquainted with a young trans woman going through hard times right now. From what I've read and what she's told me, a lot of their LGBTQ activism funding was tied to USAID, and with gone she is feeling very isolated.

I made this account to try and find any resources or organizations or experience with LGBTQ rights in the Balkans, so please do DM me if you have any advice or kind words I can pass along. Thanks very much, big love to my trans comrades

Just realized the other day that it's gotten a lot worse. Not bald, but thinned on the crown to the point where the skin is very visible compared to the rest of my head. Then I took a picture this morning when my hair was still wet from the shower and it looked really awful even beyond the crown...

If I were a guy I could probably make peace with it, but I feel like I'm gonna need all the help I can get to appear feminine and this is so obviously not helping.

I'm getting blood work tomorrow to evaluate how my HRT is going which may shed some light on the situation particularly with T levels, but idk if they'll test for DHT. I ran out of finasteride like a week ago and stupidly didn't refill my prescription until just now, but the extent of my hair loss suggests it's not just from that. Might see if dutasteride will take me where I need to go, plus maybe some microneedling

Basically shit sucks and I hate it

wtf covid stop making me girly. a coworker said my coughs were cute, stop!

Warning: Grapefruit can interact with drugs, such as decreasing the effectiveness of estradiol, making Oxycodone last longer, increasing blood levels when on Viagra, and much more.

Grapefruit inhibits multiple enzymes in the small intestine, most notably CYP3A4. CYP3A4 is involved in the breaking down of a lot of drugs, so when it's inhibited Oxycodone becomes inactive slower, and estradiol won't break down all the way into estrogen. Drugs that are affected by grapefruit will often have warnings on their packaging

Personally, I like putting just a little bit of salt on my grapefruit, to counteract the bitter flavor. Dumping sugar on it doesn't help. Grapefruits are about half as sour as lemons, since they have half the citric acid content.

Grapefruits were accidentally created as a cross between the sweet orange and the pomelo, in Barbados. Those fruits originate from Asia, but were brought to the Caribbean in the 17th century. Since it's parent fruits are native to Asia, it grows well in Asia too.

and (China and Vietnam) are the two largest producers of Grapefruits, producing collectively 6.3 million tons out of the 9.8 million tons of worldwide production.

The painting was made by Robert Papp, who has a website here: https://robertpapp.com/. I don't really know anything about the guy.

The lemon things with all of the recipes was really cool, but to be honest I just like grapefruit raw, cut in half and ate with a spoon.

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___

at work i usually don't deal with customers over the phone but the last 3 times i did they all called me "ma'am"? i didn't even think i was putting in a ton of effort into it when i did that time but holy shit i sound like a girl now??? customers in person rarely if ever gender me as female but one even did today and I'm even getting way less "sirs" too! i didn't even get one at all today wow I feel so great!!!

Not going into specific detail, but we got a whole insane diatribe from them. Wasn't quite Q level stuff, but not too far removed. No hate like Christian love lol. They crossed some wild barriers trying to insert themselves between us through this process.

But... we saw this coming a long time ago, they're kinda shit and not showing their intentions. I've had it in mind to start burning bridges for a while now and they couldn't help themselves. So my subconscious kicked in for me and I fed them bait they needed to go nutty mode. Now we can lose the dead weight and it feels good to cut out the poison.

Fuck em'

I'm sorry if this isn't allowed, I just need to vent and get some things off my chest. I'm 34 years old, and I'm about to hit my 1 year mark form coming out. I've been on HRT for almost 4 months now. I just wanted to get my thoughts out and I think it might be helpful for someone.

For so much of my life I've hated existence. I hated looking in the mirror, I constantly felt depressed and angry and anxious at everything and nothing at the same time. I didn't have a social life and my dating experience was (and still is) about as real the Easter bunny. The only thing I had going for me was that I excelled in my job, but only because it was my escape from the rest of my existence.

Than a year ago I had a complete mental breakdown and realized I was trans. I'm not going to lie, it was a complete nightmare at first. On one hand, it made sense and I knew I couldn't deny it, but on the other hand processing it was so hard. I felt lost, like I didn't know who I was, what I was, and mostly I just felt alone. I had friends I tried to talk about this stuff with, but I could never convey what I was going through because it's not something that they could even understand. I'm sure a lot of people here can relate.

I think there are 2 experiences every trans person has. What it's like to look in a mirror, and what it's like trying to describe that feeling to someone else.

But things got better. After a lot of introspection about who I am as a person I've been able to accept that I'm trans. It still feels weird to say and think about, but every day it gets easier. For the first time I'm happy with myself, and I feel like I'm becoming the person I was always meant to be. I'm excited for changes and I can't wait to see who I continue to become.

But it's not all sunshine and rainbows. I'm in the USA, and that kind of says everything. I'm also proud of my job, but I'm afraid that if I came out I would be fired. I work for a company in a red state, and my job title is "Principal Network Engineer". I'm afraid that if I came out I would lose so much respect at my job. I could deal with getting fired for screwing up or doing something stupid, but because I'm trans would kill me.

It's been a long crazy year, and I'm exhausted. This past year I've been forced to face myself in a way most people never could. I've pushed myself to change who I am almost completely. I've gone from a place of stability and simplicity to a harder existence that forces me to evolve and change almost non-stop and at a break-neck speed. Despite how afraid I am, how hard things get, it's completely worth it. I know that I couldn't not be trans, but even if I could somehow wave a wand and not be trans, I don't think I would. I'm proud of what I've had to face and how far I've come, and that fight means something to me. This past year, not only did I learn that I'm trans, but that I'm strong enough to be trans, and no matter how bad things are or will get, at least for now I'm still standing.

The Lemon Edouard Manet, 1880

All recipes are vegan or easily converted

Lemon drinks:

Chef John - State Fair Style Lemonade

Adam Ragusea - Lemonade, six slightly different ways

Adam Ragusea - Homemade citrus sodas that 'glow'

Tasting History - The Sweet History of Lemonade

Middle Eats - How Egyptians stay cool in summer

Lemon drop cocktail

Lemon Deserts:

Lemon Posset

Lemon Mousse

Lemon italian ice

Lemon Cake

Lemon Meringue Pie

Lemon Curd

Lemon thumbprint cookies

Whipped Lemon Shortbread

Lemon poundcake

Korean Preserved Lemon syrup

lemon icing

Basbousa

Candied lemon peels

Lemon sponge cake

lemon entree:

Lemon Cappellini pasta

Lemon butter sauce

Lemon garlic pasta

Lemon potatoes

Greek lemon rice

Lemon rasam

Lebanese Lentil Soup

User recommended recipes:

King Arthur Flour - Lemon-Glazed Pound Cake

Townsend's 18th century Lemon Cream recipe

Lemon pig decoration

lemon resources:

How to Get 8x as Much Juice From One Citrus?

Lemon peel powder

How to store lemons

Afroman - Lemon Pound Cake (OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO)

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Edit: Bruja has suggested that this is the original source:

https://vsemily.tumblr.com/post/689087385425903617/dont-play-defense

sorry if this isn’t the right community but it seemed like it was either here or askchapo and i felt like it was too personal of a question for there.

basically i used to think a lot about how i wish i was born a girl when i was a kid, before i really knew transitioning was an option. more recently the idea resurfaced for a couple of reasons and i think i might want to transition.

but the idea has kind of come up before and it seems my girlfriend and i would break up if that happened. we’ve been going out for 8 years and she’s easily my best friend. i don’t really have a social life outside of that. i try to talk with coworkers or comrades in my org but generally i feel like people act like i’m off putting. tbh i think i might have schizoid personality disorder or something cause i don’t really like interacting with people generally besides my gf. idk i guess i just always pictured myself like doing girly things with my friends but i don’t think like transitioning will suddenly make it so i can connect with people and make friends to go out with. and i don’t even know if i have physical dysphoria so i worry it might not be worth it.

but on the other hand i just read the page in the gender dysphoria bible on biochemical dysphoria and identify with it 100% but it could just be depression bc of some other reason.

i love her so much i don't know if i can even make myself tell her. i think even if i make friends it's not going to be anything like how i feel talking with her. how many of you had a similar decision to make? i don't know what to do

I just really don't know how to feel or what to do or how to figure this out for myself so if anyone else has been in my shoes I'd really love some advice

[For context I'm in my 30's]

Sooooo growing up I knew that trans people existed, and I knew about androgyny which I was very fond of, but it wasn't up until my mid 20's that I had learned about genderfluidity or nonbinary identities. Once I heard it described, it just clicked with me and immediately I felt that that is what I was, nonbinary. This was around the time that gay marriage became legal in California, so really these terms were not widely used at all outside of queer communities. As a very young child most of my interests aligned with my gender assigned at birth, but even into 2nd and 3rd grade it was very obvious that I was more interested in hobbies and things typical of the opposite gender, and this has remained static. The things I liked, the ways I dressed for the most part, my choice in friends, my sexuality, the way I talk and kinda move around the world was more reflective, in my mind, of the "opposite gender". There were characteristics, however, that up until learning that I could be a third, secret gender (lol), were in alignment with my AGAB, so I never identified as anything but.

Now I have identified as nonbinary/agender/transmasc nonbinary for close to 15 years, but over the past few years I've been feeling like I am really not actually anything other than cisgender. Being misgendered by others still REALLY bothers me...But due to my experiences in the world and how I've always been perceived, I really do resonate with the experiences of my AGAB, especially when it comes to experiences of gender based violence. I feel like in my brain I slip and call myself my AGAB more now than I used to. I'm in relationships with people where it looks like a straight relationship. I don't really belong to any queer community, so I'm used to people constantly misgendering me, and it just feels like I'm always perceived as my AGAB even when gendered correctly.

I don't take hormones, I've never had any type of gender affirming surgeries, and I generally don't want to change my body. I have body dysmorphia, but that I think is more due to societal expectations of what my body is supposed to look like/chronic verbal abuse focused on my body. I have thought about hormones, I have wondered or wanted my body to align with my gender more but never to the point of feeling that I need to change it. But at this point, I feel like I should resign myself to just being cis. ADMIT to being cis....and I just feel like a fraud. I still bristle against the idea, but I just feel like I'm faking it, and have been faking it because no one else sees me as what I want to be seen as....But that's the thing, do I just WANT to be seen as someone else, or NEED to be? What's the difference? I feel like I would NEED to take hormones, or want/need surgery to really ACTUALLY be who I feel I am...Especially since I've had more and more thoughts that feel cis??? Is the only way I can describe it. I feel like my identity is not much more than a choice of pronoun, and I just feel like I'm cosplaying or something....So I don't really know what the fuck I am or how to figure it out. It's just one more thing to perseverate about and I wish I could just not think about it. But I don't know how to get there.

I was pondering what I wanted to put in this post for a while, and I feel the obvious thing would have been for me to info dump about a math thing. Yes, the urge is strong… but maybe next time. This time I want to go for pizzazz – oomph, if you will. I have another obsession I have not yet graced our corner of the internet with: the color orange.

Let us all take a moment to bathe in the excellence of orange. You may use the shrine below to aid in your meditations:

various shades of orange I find visually appealing

(i totally forgot to sit down and type out something more substantial and less stupid lol)

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Inanna/Ishtar, also called "The Queen of Heaven", is an ancient Mesopotamian goddess of love, war, and fertility, but also associated with gender, sexuality, political power, and divine justice. She was originally known in Ancient Sumer as Inanna, and later worshipped by Assyrians, Akkadians, and Babylonians as Ishtar. She is also widely seen as a progenitor to the goddesses Venus/Aphrodite. She tends to be associated with lions and sometimes owls. Her symbol is an 8-pointed star that looks something like this:

Her most popular myth involves her descent into the underworld, which was ruled by her sister, Erishkigal. Inanna went there with the purpose of attending the funeral of her sister's husband Gugulanna, who was slain by Gilgamesh, but her trip was also potentially motivated by an intent to expand her dominion over the underworld. Upon reaching her sister's throne room, seven underworld judges (known as the Annuna) blamed her for the death of Gugulanna, and so Erishkigal killed her and hung her body on a hook. Days later, Enki hears of her death and sends two enby friends, the kurgarr and the kalatar (described as being neither male nor female) to save her. They sprinkle the food and water of life on her corpse, bringing her back to life. The enby friends escort her out, but the guardians of the underworld kidnap her husband Dumuzid to serve as her replacement. Dumuzid is later allowed to return to heaven for half the year, being replaced by his sister Geshintanna, which serves as an explanation for the changing of the seasons throughout the year.

The priesthood of Inanna's cult was known as the Gala, a group widely known for transcending gender boundaries and were said to have sung in the women's dialect, adopted women's names, and wore attire traditionally used by both men and women. They would also often perform war dances in women's attire in her temples, and festivals in her honor were typically marked by crossdressing and the general blurring of gender lines. They were also well-respected community members who took it upon themselves to look after the sick, poor, and downtrodden.

Inanna was also said to have the divine power to change a person's gender directly. Enheduanna's hymn states:

To open up roads and paths, a place of peace for the journey, a companion for the weak, are yours, Inanna. To keep paths and ways in good order, to shatter earth and to make it firm are yours, Inanna. To destroy, to create, to tear out, and to establish are yours, Inanna. To turn a man into a woman and a woman into a man are yours, Inanna.

If you'd like to read more about Inanna/Ishtar and her associations with gender, this is a good article worth reading. There's also this video about Inanna and this video about the Gala specifically.

Before posting this, I prayed to the goddess and asked her to bless this megathread and all who post in it. She agreed to give us her divine blessing, but only on the condition that our posts be extremely, absurdly, unbelievably gay (like far more gay than we usually are), so I hope you can join me in honoring her request.

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