The Sugarbuzz Project

Thoughts on Autistic Masking, Personality Disorders, Politics, and Interpersonal Dynamics

Wess — Mon, 11 Sep 2023 03:04:13 +0000

I’ve just realized something about myself. And the wild thing is that it’s nothing I wasn’t aware of, but it’s not something I ever thought about…it just seemed normal. And that’s why I’m turning this very personal Facebook post into a blog post about autistic masking vs. narcissistic masking.

I am 100% hiding how I feel about things most of the time.

What is coming out is correct, but it does not reflect on how strongly I feel about whatever the thing is. In fact, I even hide it from myself. I am VERY bad about suppressing my own feelings in order to seem more reasonable to everyone.

The upshot is that turns into me basically being able to function in society when I have to.

The downside is that it’s exhausting, and I really, really don’t like how it feels. Sometimes it’s bad enough that it causes physical discomfort, minor headaches…which I don’t get as often as I used to, but I’ve also learned over time that I can even push down how I feel about pushing things down.

And I’m really, really freaking good at it.

I’ve even fooled myself. And now I’m looking at all of it from a more…forgiving (?) perspective (not sure if that’s the word I’m looking for, but it sounds kind of close).

So, for a second, imagine this: you’re in a situation where you cannot show your feelings or you will die. Like that one Monty Python scene. You know the one. I know you know the one I’m talking about.

You encounter a feeling that sucks. You know that if you show that it sucks, it’s going to upset people, so you just have to suppress the external showing of it. So you downplay it massively. And you still have that feeling inside “oh man, they’re going to know, and YOU KNOW that they will know because you can’t hide that you don’t believe the words coming out, and you know you don’t want to lie about it, so you’d better get used to the idea of being uncomfortable…“

And so you get used to being uncomfortable. And you do this over and over, and suppress the internal warnings over and over until you can’t even recognize that you’re not acting how you were before.

And the worst part is, it’s painfully obvious to people who care about you. So they try to tell you that it’s okay to let out your feelings.

Morgan Freeman Voice: “It was definitely NOT okay.”

So you cover the entire thing in a thick layer of humor. You become the person who will literally joke about anything. Even if it’s not something to joke about. Eventually, you convince yourself that you’re fine because it seems to work. At least it does most of the time. But what do you do when you can’t fool yourself? What do you do when you can’t pretend that you feel some kind of way about something? And what do you do when you know that sharing that, even if asked, will make it worse?

That’s easy. You keep suppressing it until you don’t even recognize that you’re doing it.

It’s just normal for you.

Because that’s how you protect yourself and the people you care about. eventually, you can’t keep it up. It WILL fall apart.

Now multiply this problem by two if you have a relationship.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I would be lying if I said that this can be okay. I don’t know that it can be. Eventually, people end up exhausted because they can’t get through to you because your defenses are so…actually VERY EFFECTIVE…and you can’t really take any of it back. You can’t just stop masking it. That would make everyone believe you’re having some kind of crisis.

Truth is that most every time you encounter something that makes you feel anything at all, it’s a crisis.

But people don’t act that way. So you keep on suppressing. And if any slips out, don’t worry. Someone else will find a way to remind you why you need to suppress how you feel. It’s kind of messed up. And yes, that’s understating.

I think I’ve argued with almost everyone that I’ve ever cared about because I don’t speak your language. The words are similar. The meanings – to me – actually have a very specific meaning, and I have to articulate things accurately to feel that I’m correctly relaying the concept. That exhausts people because they shouldn’t have to sit there and figure it out.

People sometimes want “yes” or “no”, and as we all know sometimes it’s not that simple.

Most of the time it isn’t. And trying to force someone to fit something into a yes/no dichotomy is just building your own narrative. Much like attorneys in court do.

I don’t want to hide how I’m feeling about things anymore, but I don’t have the option to let it all out though.

Ever wonder how messed up the world is when you can be punished for expressing how you feel about things that people do or say to you?

I don’t wonder. It’s not worth a damn.

But that’s how it is. And sometimes we want to function in it, but it isn’t made for people like us.

Ostracism is still a thing.

For me, I’ll just beat them to the punch. But it’s not because I’m selfish…it’s not because I don’t want to hurt (remember, I can even suppress my feelings internally and make myself forget about them…which is NOT good, I know lol)…it’s because I don’t want to make other people uncomfortable about me. And that’s because when people are uncomfortable, they put distance between the thing they’re not comfortable with and themselves. This is just normal behavior. This is nature doing what it does.

Think of it like protective equipment. Like armor, or a firefighter suit. Except you can’t see it, and you cannot take it off because it’s melted to you from the fire outside. It still works, but not optimally anymore, and you need to get out of it because the more it melts, the more it suffocates you. I’m sure you see where this is going.

That’s what I feel. That’s what I do. And I know I am not going to be able to turn it off.

And I know that people, whether they understand or not, will be pushed away by it. (It = the weakened efficacy of the defensive suit allowing feels to leak out, not the suppression).

I had to build my own personality from fragments that I’ve seen over time that I thought were good qualities. I’m not honestly sure how I feel about anything anymore. Well, unless the feeling is strong enough to break through the suppression attempts. Then I’m sure what I feel, but I still cannot convey it to anyone else in any effective way.

That is insanely isolating. Even when you’re with friends.

I don’t hang out with people anymore. I want to. I know I need people around me that are close to my age, share some beliefs or hobbies, etc. But I don’t ask. I feel it’s rude to do so.

If something made me angry, I’d play it down because I didn’t want to show anger because people feel that’s a negative (it isn’t, but I also don’t express anger the way many people do because many people are bad at it). I don’t want to show hurt because people perceive that as being weak.

This has nothing to with how I was raised, for those who may be thinking “oh, this is just old school toxic blah blah blah” because it isn’t. Those people are doing what I mentioned above: trying to establish a binary narrative where they are always correct while ignoring every other bit of nuance, logic, or reason. That’s abhorrent behavior. That’s not even okay.

Why does society think that’s ok?

Because they don’t care about making things better. They care about getting what they want. They want their needs met. And they have no idea what their needs actually are.

Most of the time, what they need isn’t even close to what they say their needs are. That’s because they are actually just choosing not to behave like adults, and they need to justify it to themselves. To do that, they just attack anything that challenges what they WANT to believe, even hard evidence. It’s effective because we avoid things that are uncomfortable (naturally), and they use this defense offensively.

But people won’t call it out. And this brings us full circle, doesn’t it?

We suppress how we feel so we don’t hurt people. Then, evil people take advantage of our perceived weakness (it isn’t weak at all, it’s just that all of the strength goes to holding ourselves back…narcs should take note of that), and they create situations that sound reasonable to people who don’t think like this…and if they did they’d be able to say “that’s bs”.

The problem with people taking advantage of our perceived weakness is that it creates a sort of feedback loop. It can do this with regular people, but it really does it with disordered people. They have to destroy you because you will at some point drop the suppression and lay all of the fallout at their feet if they don’t.

At least that’s what they feel about it.

And they’re really good at convincing you that you’re safe talking to them.

You aren’t.

How can this be fixed?

Everyone needs to stop simplifying their conversations. Talk about nuance of politics and religion. Get used to having to work out complex and uncomfortable problems. NO IT’S NOT COMFORTABLE. GROW THE HELL UP.

Right now I imagine someone I’ve described saying “How dare you tell me to grow up?? *angry greta noises* That’s insulting!”

No. It’s objective.

Here’s an example of insulting: “You’re wrong. You just like supporting [bad people doing bad things].” That’s totally invalidating everything they say! And this makes people inclined to narcissism feel better about themselves.

It’s masking.

Just like with autism, except it’s malicious and it’s external. You’re trying to hide that you are so full of self hate and so convinced – not that you are right, but that you are ENTITLED TO BEING RIGHT – so you must attack anything that challenges it.

And that’s the difference between a personality disorder and something like autism, which is more of a problem interfacing with everything. Or ADHD, which is a neurological flaw that affects certain areas of the brain, like the prefrontal cortex, that causes it to basically misfire.

The stupidly watered down version of this is what you might get from a narcissist: “Everyone is valid, so you shouldn’t criticize anyone ever, because you don’t know what they’re going through.”

The non-manipulative version: “People have problems. You should be considerate. If they open up, listen. Be kind. You don’t have to agree. You don’t have to condone. But you can disagree and disapprove without being cruel to someone.”

Another take from the narc perspective: “If everyone is super, no one will be.” – Syndrome, The Incredibles

We currently live in a society that somehow ended up with a mutually assured destruction element built in, but not for real threats to safety or security…but for pushing away anything that makes us feel uncomfortable at all…even if it’s internal. ESPECIALLY if it’s internal.

That’s not sustainable.

This will NEVER work.

It will ALWAYS break.

Deep down…every one of you knows this.

Humans didn’t change. Attitudes did.

Fix the attitudes.

Now, back on topic.

Autistic Masking.

Thing is, I’m not ever going to be normal. I am going to try to suppress less. I know this is going to upset people. I would say I don’t care. I think some of you know me well enough to know that there’s a couple layers to me saying “I don’t care.”

It could mean I don’t care.
It could mean I don’t accept what you’re saying.
It could mean I don’t have a strong preference.
It could mean I would rather defer to what someone else wants because I care about them and want them to have what they want and I’m not concerned with how that works out for me. This is the one I operate on most often.

Anyway. I’ll post more later. I used to L O V E writing things.

I began to hate it when it became something other people hated me doing.

Weird how that works.

Check out my most popular post: How to Find 99% Off Products on Amazon Without Coupon Codes

Shure SM57 Dynamic Microphone Demo

Wess — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 23:25:47 +0000

If you are a musician, you’re probably already familiar with the Shure SM57. You might even have one stuck in front of a guitar amp, in a microphone locker, or even in a toolbox in case you need a hammer for those pesky issues that might come up when you’re building out your home studio or working with a band that tends to get on your nerves.

For those that don’t know, the Shure SM57 is probably one of the most commonly recorded unidirectional dynamic mics in the audio industry. Most often, it is used for mic’ing guitar amps. The SM57 also gets used frequently when recording acoustic drum kits.

However, today, we’re going to be demoing the Shure SM57 for voice recording.

Is the Shure SM57 Good for Voice Recording?

My Home Voice Recording Signal Chain

This is how I currently have my signal chain set up for recording. I use this for voice work as well as for music vocals.

The SM57 is going directly into a Focusrite Scarlett 8i6. From there, I’m also using a Rane ME 30 Equalizer, a DOD R-825 Compressor, and an AudioLogic MT44 noise gate to clean up the sound a bit (in that order).

The Shure SM57 is a fantastic microphone that can cover a lot of territory, and it works great for both musical and non-musical voice recording. And at around $99 it’s a must-have for your home recording studio.

Where to Buy Shure SM57(and Other Gear)

If the SM57 doesn’t quite fit your voice recording needs, check out my MXL MCA SP1 demo.

SuddenLink – Slow Speed, Bad Service, and Creepy Sales Tactics – Part 2

Wess — Tue, 01 Mar 2022 06:00:38 +0000

Back in 2017 I made a post about how my SuddenLink internet connection is slow, and how it felt like I was being ripped off. Fast forward to 2022 – it’s still nowhere near as fast as it’s supposed to be, but today I want to talk about something that is – believe it or not – more annoying than paying $125/month for residential 400Mbps internet service that I’m only getting about 20Mbps speeds on.

This is part two. You can find part one of this series here: SuddenLink – Slow Speed, Bad Service, and Creepy Sales Tactics – Part 1

SuddenLink Is Taking Advantage of Customers

If you want to see how tired people are of the garbage internet service and bad treatment that customers receive from SuddenLink, you can check out this petition on Change.org that has just over 5,000 signatures, or this site that gives information on a class-action lawsuit against SuddenLink, or this news story about how the Public Service Commission in Charleston West Virginia made SuddenLink pay $2.2 million in fines because they “intentionally reduced its maintenance work and budget, reduced the number of full-time employees, changed its method of communicating with customers and ignored thousands of customer complaints”.

Nevermind that SuddenLink often operates in service areas that don’t offer comparable competition. They will enter contracts with cities to keep a soft monopoly on cable internet service, and so when you have problems with them, it can be difficult to find an alternative internet service.

Nevermind that SuddenLink gets sued (and loses) in court over their practices that they continue in areas not covered by those lawsuits. Usually when people see someone make a stupid choice, they adjust their behaviors. But nah, not for these internet service “providers”.

Nevermind that r/Suddenlink is literally FILLED with angry, unfulfilled customers. No, we’re not here to talk about that today. We’re here to talk about something even MORE egregious.

SuddenLink Monitors Your Web Traffic to Attempt to Upsell Their Service

“Okay, Wess, you’ve gone off the deep end again.”

Except that I haven’t. Let me explain what happened to me a few days ago.

I understand that this is a bold claim. And *maaaaaybe* I’m wrong, but I don’t believe that I am. And of course, I brought receipts.

I was pretty sick of my internet connection randomly dropping, and who really wants to pay $125/month for 20-30Mbps? Honestly, I know that I can live without the internet…but I don’t really want to. Plus, my girlfriend and I use the internet for work, shopping, etc. so it’s pretty much a necessity to have a good internet connection.

If I were outside of town in a more rural area, HughesNet would be an option (although there are some major downsides to satellite internet, such as outages during severe weather, which is a major problem if you live in storm-prone areas). I had, however, heard that Frontier was bringing fiber internet to our area. I searched for Frontier and checked their website to get more information. They were offering 1 gig service for only $59/month, so I did a check to see if I was in their service area. Unfortunately, I wasn’t. It’s coming…but it’s not there yet.

And then the phone rang. My phone said that it was “potential spam”, but I was expecting a call from a number that I didn’t recognize for other reasons, so I answered the call.

It was SuddenLink calling with a new offer. They were trying to sell me 1 gig service to my already existing account for “only $30 more per month” plus adding a bundled service which I don’t use to “save even more”.

First off, bundling services you don’t need isn’t exactly “saving”. If your cash outflow increases, you’re simply paying more. But that tells me that they can afford to adjust prices downward a bit.

I had a fun conversation with the sales rep (and I absolutely recorded the call, I haven’t decided whether to make it public yet though) where I explained what I was doing online, what my suspicions were, and told her that she should talk to the other reps and let them know about the weird timing of the call.

Coincidence? Perhaps. Although it was VERY specific…the pitch was tailored to exactly what I was reading. Weird, eh? And the timing was even more off.

I believe that I mentioned receipts, right?

Searched for Frontier site. (4:50 PM) on DuckDuckGo, visited site at 4:51 PM.

Here is when I received the call from SuddenLink (4:57 PM)

In the words of everyone playing Among Us, “sus”.

I decided to ask SuddenLink on their Facebook page what was up with that.

As you can guess, SuddenLink DID respond…but they were completely useless.

Ugh. Well, it felt good to vent.

SuddenLink Is…

At this point, I think it’s safe to say that if you have an alternative to SuddenLink (or any other Altice-owned ISP), you should strongly consider going with them. That said, at least the connection is *ok* most of the time, but it will randomly drop (because of issues with the router talking to provisioning…but that’s a whole other post). But who really wants to pay $125/month PLUS have to deal with SuddenLink stalking you to see if you want to be treated better PLUS having to call them periodically and argue over the bills that they will magically increase for literally no reason at all. Honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked if they tried to nuke my account after this series of blog posts.

From what I hear, that process would be faster and less painless than trying to call and cancel on my own. But that’s a topic for a different time.

We all deserve better treatment than this from a company that we give so much money to.

If you’ve ever been treated like garbage by SuddenLink, please leave a comment and tell us about your experience.

Relevant Links

SuddenLink – Slow Speed, Bad Service, and Creepy Sales Tactics – Part 1

Wess — Wed, 23 Feb 2022 03:21:49 +0000

Okay, SuddenLink, we need to talk.

I’m gonna keep it real with you – your home internet service is stable…most of the time. Your business services are somewhat better (because they have to be to not get sued), and that’s about where any praise that I have for your company dies a tragic, self-imposed death.

Some of you might recall that back in 2017, I wrote this article about SuddenLink having some problems with residential internet speeds, but in my case it was because of a technician that had connected a second router into my router without making sure they wouldn’t cause problems. That problem seemed to be resolved by removing the second router.

At least, that’s what I felt at the time after the speed tests that I ran showed a bit of improvement, and the stability of my network was just better. But as it turns out, the overall speed problems were not resolved.

I’m paying MORE for SuddenLink now than before, and it’s STILL just as slow.

After SuddenLink was purchased by Altice, their service took a spectacular nose dive. They removed the 50Mb package, and made the 100Mb package the standard. They also removed the 50Mb price tier, forcing everyone who is stuck with their service to have to hand over more money. Not to mention, there are more devices on most home networks now, so generally you’re going to need more bandwidth. What does that mean? More money for SuddenLink!

Here is a screenshot of my SuddenLink account to show what level of service we are currently paying for. This runs about $125 per month.

Now, you could say that for most people who aren’t heavy video gamers, 400Mbps isn’t too bad. But here are some of the speed tests that I’ve ran just to see how close we are getting to the speeds that we are being charged for.

Test From https://www.speedcheck.org/

As you can see, 20.22 Mbps isn’t anywhere close to 400Mbps. But it could just be a fluke, so I tried a different speed test. This time, I used SuddenLink’s speed test tool that can be found in the customer portal.

This is the speed test from the SuddenLink web site.

Okay, that’s EVEN WORSE. Paying for 400 Mbps and only getting 12.9 Mbps isn’t just a little bit of a problem…it’s a massive freaking problem.

Troubleshooting SuddenLink’s Hitron Router

Still, when you come from an IT background, you know a few tricks. I decided to log into the router (that we are paying $10/month for) because there are some embedded troubleshooting tools that you can use…theoretically…to troubleshoot connection issues. I’m still using the Hitron router that definitely should have paid for itself a few times over by now, considering how long I’ve had it. If you have one of these, you can also log in to it. Default router settings will let you surf to 192.168.0.1 in your browser. The embedded tools can be found by clicking on Admin, then going to the Diagnostics tab.

And that’s where things get even more stupid.

Suddenlink’s Hitron Router UI Crashes

Whenever I actually try to use the embedded ping or traceroute tools in the router, the user interface of the router crashes. It will still stay connected, so that’s a plus, but I can’t log back into the router until it reboots…and there’s no way to get into the router to reboot it (no https, no SSH, no Telnet…nothing). You have to either manually power cycle the router, or you have to wait until it does a maintenance reboot on its own.

So not only does the 400Mbps service that we pay $125/month for NOT deliver anywhere near 400Mbps (or even the 50Mbps package that they don’t offer anymore), if you can believe it, it gets even worse.

Wait…what? Yes. It’s worse than just crappy speeds.

Part two is coming soon.

Let us know in the comments how your SuddenLink experience is going so far (and check the box to make sure you’re on the mailing list to get updates when I post part two)!

Relevant Links

SuddenLink – Slow Speed, Bad Service, and Creepy Sales Tactics – Part 2
My SuddenLink Internet Connection is Slow…and I Feel Like I’m Being Ripped Off
ARRIS SURFboard SBG10 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem & AC1600 Dual Band Wi-Fi Router (Amazon)
Act now to save BIG on high-speed satellite Internet with HughesNet Gen5! Check out special offers available in your area!

Sour Candy Challenge – We Try Four Sour Candies

Wess — Sat, 25 Dec 2021 03:27:52 +0000

We decided to try four sour candies to see which one was the most sour. We thought it would be fun to make a video of it.

The Sour Candy Challenge

From what I’m told, the idea is to see who can eat sour candy without making faces. Spoiler alert: I lost the game.

The four sour candies that we are tasting and reviewing today are:

The Verdict

In my opinion, the Sour Big Chewy Nerds are the winner. I’m not sure what is up with the light reddish ones (strawberry lemonade, according to the bag), but they are pretty sour.

None of them were very intense though. We were hoping that the Warheads Sour Mini Candy Canes would have lived up to the Warheads hard candies of the 90’s.

Let’s be honest – NOTHING lives up to the 90’s.

Leave us a comment either here or on the YouTube video and let us know which candies we should try next!

Background Noise – Ep1 Thinking About Starting a Podcast

Wess — Wed, 08 Dec 2021 18:04:59 +0000

Well, now we’ve gone and done it. We’ve started a podcast.

It’s a free-form, winding, rambling, caffeine-fueled conversation about the absurdity of life from an ADHD perspective with a heavy focus on dark, absurd humor, satire, and parody.

It’s going to be very strange.

Listen to Background Noise on Audible or Amazon Music

In Ep1, we talk about what we might want to do with a podcast, and it just gets stranger from there.

Note: this podcast is NSFW.

MXL MCA-SP1 Microphone Demo

Wess — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 15:46:59 +0000

My current voice recording setup features the MXL MCA-SP1 condenser microphone. This mic can be found on Amazon or other sites for around $70 new, and it is a great option for voice over or podcasting beginners who are looking for good sound quality without breaking the bank.

Equipment Used in This Demo

MXL MCA-SP1 Condenser Microphone (Buy on Amazon / Reverb / eBay)
Focusrite Scarlett 8i6 (Gen 3) Interface (Buy on Amazon / Reverb / eBay)
DOD R-825 Compressor/Limiter (Buy on Reverb / eBay)

For this demo, I am using a noise gate and EQ plugin that came bundled with Reaper DAW.

MXL MCA-SP1 Audio Demo

How to Post on Instagram From Your PC

Wess — Thu, 29 Jul 2021 18:22:28 +0000

For whatever reason, Instagram does not allow users to create posts from your home computer. This can be very frustrating for content creators who are using Instagram to promote their content. Despite the hassle of Instagram not allowing you to post from your PC, there is an easy workaround that yields some pretty awesome benefits.

How To Post on Instagram From a PC

When you log in to Instagram on a PC, you will notice that up in the top of the screen, there is no option for creating a new post. In order to post on Instagram, you will either need to make your posts via the Instagram app on your phone, or you’ll need to find a workaround.

In order to make your posts from your computer, you basically need to make the Instagram website think that your PC is a phone. Don’t worry, it’s a lot more simple than it sounds. To do this, I recommend using a piece of free software called Bluestacks.

What is Bluestacks?

Bluestacks is a free PC app that emulates the Android operating system on your PC. It runs in its own window, so there’s no need to boot into a different OS.

You can download Bluestacks here (free).

Once you download it, install the software. You should be prompted to sign in with your Google account (just like you would when setting up a new cell phone). Once you’ve got all of the setup squared away, you can use Google Play to find and install Instagram. Once Instagram is installed, just open the app and sign in.

Instagram on Bluestacks

Posting to Instagram From Your PC

As you can see, Instagram shows up in Bluestacks exactly as it would on your phone. You can see in the top right that you now have a “new post” button.

As a bonus, Instagram isn’t the only app you can use with Bluestacks. Since it’s an Android emulator with access to the Google Play store, you can run almost any app on your computer that you previously could only access from a phone.

You can download Bluestacks here for free.

Winchester Ammunition Recall – 9mm, 17 HRM, 38 Special

Wess — Fri, 02 Jul 2021 16:56:36 +0000

Winchester Ammunition has issued a recall recently that affects their 9mm, 115 grain “white box” ammo. This recall also affects Herter’s 9mm, since they are manufactured by Winchester as well.

Winchester “white box” ammo is very popular among hobby shooters due to its lower price and availability. Since the start of the current ammo shortage, ammunition manufacturers have been forced to keep up with increased demands, and it is possible that their quality control checks have overlooked issues.

The issue, according to Winchester, is that the ammunition “may contain propellant that does not properly ignite and burn”, which can cause a malfunction known as a “squib load”, which is when the bullet is expelled from the shell casing, but fails to exit the barrel. A followup shot with a blocked barrel could cause a catastrophic failure of the gun.

This recall affects ammunition that was purchased on or after March 25th, 2021.

This video goes into more detail about the recall.

Currently, there are two other recall notices on Winchester’s web site that also affect 17 HMR and 38 Special loads, however these are older notices that stem from the same problem.

Winchester is offering to replace or refund the purchase of the ammunition at no charge to the purchaser. You can reach them at Winchester Customer Support: 844-653-8358.

Winchester Ammunition Recall Notification Web Pages

Winchester 9mm Luger 115 grain (multiple varieties)

Herter’s 9mm Luger 115 grain FMJ

Winchester Super-X 17HMR 20 grain JHP

Winchester 38 Special 130 grain FMJ

For specific lot numbers, see information on the links above or in the video description on my Winchester Ammo Recall video on YouTube.

How To Buy Dogecoin

Wess — Tue, 04 May 2021 22:09:01 +0000

Over the last couple of days, $DOGE has been on the rise…and I’m kicking myself for selling the over 10k that I used to have back when it was less than $0.04 each. Ugh! But hey, the price is still affordable, and I still like Dogecoin (even if it’s just for fun), so I plan to HODL until I can’t do it anymore. I’m not a cryptocurrency nerd. I’m also not a financial advisor of any kind. But I do like the Doge.

What is Dogecoin, anyway?

Dogecoin is a cryptocurrency, much like Bitcoin or Etherium…but more fun (and far less expensive to get into). Dogecoin was started as a joke, but lately there have been more businesses adopting it as a form of currency that they will accept. Add that with the random hype from Elon Musk and you get this:

The good news? You can still buy Dogecoin (or invest in it through a brokerage). Here’s how you can get in:

Buy Dogecoin from a cryptocurrency exchange
Invest in Doge through a stock brokerage

Invest in Doge With a Brokerage

This option is probably the fastest, easiest way to get into crypto investing, although it’s not for everyone. To join a service, you’ll have to hand over some info like SSN, birthdate, etc. That’s standard for a brokerage, and it is required by the federal government. That being said, once you set up your account, you can start investing.

Pro tip: if you join some of these, you’ll get free stocks that you can sell and use that money to invest in Dogecoin without having to add cash out of your pocket.

Here’s a list of stock brokerages that allow you to invest in Dogecoin:

Robinhood
eToro
Webull

Exchanges That Sell Dogecoin

I’ll update this section as I find more, but here is a list of the cryptocurrency exchanges that sell actual Dogecoin that you can transfer to either a software wallet or a hardware wallet like the Trezor One cryptocurrency wallet.

Binance
Gemini
Kraken
Coinbase (Okay, they aren’t selling $DOGE yet, but adding because it’s a good exchange to get others…and people are pressuring Coinbase to add Dogecoin).