Hell yeah, I salute you, fellow bidet enjoyer
Good advice, will look into the wipes. More fiber is also good advice for all the westerners who eat the standard American diet (or similar), my shits were way worse before I went vegan and started eating all the 
Edit: hmm wait I don't think wipes are considered flushable generally
Despite the knowledge I have of the superior shitting experience, it is apparent I have failed to do the praxis and I do deeply apologize. 
I pledge to dedicate my life to making sure every single public toilet has a bidet, thereby making bidets accessible for all in the western world--yes, even for the chuds who can no longer poop properly from their carnivore diets.
It's just too bad no one has invented a thing that can significantly reduce the transmission of viruses and the likelihood of hospital-acquired infections. Maybe a piece of cloth that can be worn over the face and mandated in medical facilities, for instance.
As long as such a thing doesn't exist in the present, best to continue open-mouth toddler coughing in public when feeling under the weather, I suppose. 
I can't ever imagine going back to wiping my ass with toilet paper, at least in situations where I have a bidet available. Why is everything about western culture literally the fucking worst
I forgot to ask, if you don't mind, since you said you're someone who has helped with hiring employees, I was wondering if you had any advice on whether to focus on one specific reason for a gap, or whether to mention all factors. Because in my case, it was definitely multiple factors that have contributed to my gap, between the loss of my father and then caretaking. I'm also feeling like maybe I shouldn't mention anything at all about being a stay-at-home parent but idk.
I really have trouble figuring out the best way to explain the gap if it comes up (which it often does). My hunch says it might be best to just focus on one thing and keep it succinct, mention how it's resolved, and then turn it around and say some shit about how I'm eager to work again and excited for this role blah blah blah, but I'm honestly not sure.
Yeah it's a bullshit field that's is kind of tech related, but it is definitely something that can be done via contracting/consulting/freelancing, yeah
Ah damn, solidarity, my friend. Don't you just love how remote work, something that is far more inclusive than in-person work, was demonized by the capitalists and a shit ton of companies did RTO mandates in lockstep? I honestly never realized how overstimulating and draining in-person work could be for my neurospicy ass until I worked remotely. I wish everyone could have the option to work remotely, if desired.
I definitely have had to take little breaks from job searching due to a bit of burnout as well, can't imagine doing it nonstop for 2 years, damn.
So, I've historically worked in bullshit roles in a bullshit industry that definitely can be done as freelancing, and it is something I've considered putting on a resume before. I actually thought about using one of those freelance sites for real to build a portfolio, but was dissuaded when I heard that it can be really hard to even start nowadays, so idk. But regardless, I could probably get friends to pretend to be clients if I wanted to go that route. Thanks for the advice
Yeah that's a good idea, I've been applying to roles through staffing agencies that are basically the same industry as my past jobs, but yeah, I might need to expand the search a bit since I'm not having great luck so far. But definitely have been looking at contracts, part time, temporary roles, etc.
Hmm okay I've been wondering about this because this is what I'd prefer, since saying something like that is more or less the truth. And yeah that was also kind of what I was thinking as well in regards to a sympathetic workplace, i.e. a place that isn't sympathetic or understanding of a gap may not necessarily be the best environment to begin with. Thanks for the advice
I know I'm not the only one having issues with finding work, but this is definitely the worst market I've had to deal with since I started working about a decade ago.
I got laid off from my remote job a couple years ago, and was originally intending to take a bit of time off. But then my dad passed away unexpectedly a few weeks after getting laid off, and that kind of fucked me up for a while and wasn't really in the mindset to look for work. I also lost my grandfather a few months later, which also fucking sucked.
I meant to originally start looking for work at the beginning of 2024, but then our kiddo caught COVID, despite masking, cuz the 
s in charge decided our schools must be even bigger petri dishes than they already were by declaring COVID to no longer exist, and one-way masking can unfortunately fail, but I digress. Considering our kiddo is high risk to begin with, we were really relieved that he didn't have any complications after the acute phase. I dodged COVID somehow, but my partner wasn't as lucky. They ended up having several debilitating symptoms that made them semi-bedbound for over half a year, and I more or less decided to shelve my plans for job hunting so I could be their full-time caretaker. And I don't regret that one bit, to be clear, we focused on rest and recovery above all else and my partner is more or less back to their baseline level of health before they got COVID, thank fuck.
Even though my partner is working again and makes enough for us to get by, I would still like to find work for myself. I started looking about half a year ago but am not really having any luck, and I regularly feel dread about it and sometimes it just feels profoundly pointless. Even if an interview goes well, I don't really pin my hopes to any particular role, as I just kind of assume there's a good chance the job is fake, they're pretending they're hiring to make their existing overworked employees feel like help is on the way, or they already have an internal candidate and the interviews are just a formality, but idk.
I can't help but feel that my resume gap is fucking me over. I would hope that gaps have been more normalized since the onset of the pandemic, but I've had multiple interviews where it comes up and the recruiter seems surprised I'm not working (even though I didn't attempt to hide it) and then that's usually the only interview. I've had a couple interviews go multiple rounds, but that's about it. I feel like I've exhausted my network at this point (one of the ones that went multiple rounds was a referral from someone I used to work with, only for them to ghost me entirely, LOL).
And even when I'm transparent about the gap, I'm not sure how much to divulge or what to put on a resume or discuss in an interview, between caregiving, taking what was sort of a sabbatical to deal with loss, and being a stay-at-home dad all the meanwhile. I definitely haven't been sitting on my ass, and I've also been working on relevant education and certifications in recent months as well, but meh.
All the different advice I see is also often conflicting and just makes me want to pull out my hair, too. Be vague about the gap! Actually, be transparent about the gap! Send a tailored resume to every job application! Actually, use a single resume and just bulk apply because it's a numbers game! Actually, use a different resume for each different job title you're seeking! Message the hiring manager on LinkedIn! Actually don't message the hiring manager because they'll hate that and put your resume in the trash!. AHH 
In general I'm finding recruiters to be completely fucking worthless, too. I've had several message me with roles that were relevant and ones I was qualified for, I reply to them, and then I don't hear a fucking peep again. Only one of them actually got back to me and turned it into an interview. So I'm not even sure what fucking good LinkedIn is at this point. I've always fucking loathed that site. I made an account several years ago but it increasingly feels like it would make sense to delete it, especially since I'm considering just lying.
But yeah, is it worth it to just lie at this point? I don't blame anyone who does, especially in this market. Despite this, there's been this part of my brain that has felt resigned to being frank about my situation, but, well, companies lie to candidates and employees all the fucking time, so I've increasingly felt like I might have to play this fucking game, too. And if I need to just make up a role to bridge the gap at this point. Although part of me is still nervous about it, i.e. having a lie be exposed during a background check. Even if I were to lie, I'm not super sure about the best way to do so, you know?
And yes, she's working remotely in the meantime. But why would she need to work remotely if she wants to ban masks and because the pandemic is over? 
Anyways, sending my thoughts and prayers to the COVID in her body right now. 
I went through something similar when I was 10. I stopped eating meat once it fully set in that the chicken on my plate was once a living animal that didn't have to die. Stayed vegetarian for many years until I went vegan.
officer involved shooting
There's that phrase again! :citations-needed:
Hmm yeah I might need to look into that, thanks