Open Thread for Personal Stuff
Hugs for everyone who wants them.
I know a lot of Man Boobz regulars have been dealing with a lot of rough stuff lately, so I’m opening this thread up to provide a (relatively) safe space to discuss them. No trolls allowed; any trolls who post here will be put on moderation and possibly banned. (Please notify me by email (my last name at well dot com) if there are inaproppriate comments; I get behind in reading comments here.)
Posted on May 6, 2013, in off topic, open thread. Bookmark the permalink. 567 Comments.
Sending a consignment of Mr K’s pies (savoury or sweet) to augment the snacks for those sitting on comfy cushions and recliners and so on* and looking at the beautiful tank system.
*We’ll make the MRAs and assorted douchebags who’re giving Manboobzers grief sit on the hard chairs**.
**In a locked shed down the bottom of the garden***.
***With the spiders.
Well, I have a few complaints I could do with airing out, I suppose (very mild compared to what a lot of posters here are going through).
Over the past few weeks, I have had frequent headaches. I mean, I had headaches before, but I am getting really tired of them. Medication doesn’t seem to help, most of the time.
On the personal level, I have feelings for someone who has already told me that he isn’t interested*. He does still want to be friends, however, and I am afraid things will get awkward/ weird if we continue to hang out. Since we are fairly incompatible in other ways too, this is probably for the best. But dammit, sometimes I get tired of being rejected all the time.
Also: I had the creeepiest dream last night. Seriously, I should make a book out of it or something.
*Oh wait, I’m sorry, I forgot: This never happens to women, it’s always the other way around.
@marinerachel–since you specifically told him even in the midst of it that you weren’t attracted to him and were just emotionally fragile and looking for support, if he got mixed signals from that it’s his own damn fault, not yours. He sounds like a bully who thinks he can pressure you into dating him, which is just sick and not your fault.
When I was a little kid, I went vego completely independently, because I worked out how animals are farmed and hated it. Have been ever since. That was about 25 years ago, and I have been fighting all sorts of complete arseholes ever since. You would be amazed how interested other people are in your diet, and how discrimination against vegos is a thing. Personally, from work harrassment, it should be a legal thing.
This is probably going to be the least dramatic comment here, but I apparently have to snake my drain to unclog it and I am dreading the whole process. I’ve never done much plumbing stuff and am afraid I’m somehow going to screw it up. : /
Expect the process to produce something that looks like…you know when a cat hacks up a hairball? Like that, but much bigger.
I really feel for the unemployed bunch; hugs to you all. I got major depression last year when I was temporarily unemployed. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of regarding yourself as worthless because you’re unemployed. Intellectually I’ve known all the time that some people will always be unemployed in an economic situation where there simply aren’t jobs for everyone. But since our stupid right-wing government continuously blurt out the message that it’s your responsibility and your responsibility only to find one, it’s so easy to believe on some emotional if not intellectual level that it’s something wrong with you just because you’re unemployed.
On a brighter note: I wrote in the comments section some time ago that I had had a nasty side-effect from my Haldol – my tongue and left hand got all stiff. I used to take Haldol in periods, and be off it in periods when I was more mentally stable. Now I have a new shrink who thought the levels of Haldol I used to take when I was on it were terribly high (which is funny, since no other shrink during all these years I’ve been taking it has thought the levels were unusual). She basically said that these levels might be appropriate for someone big, but a skinny little woman like me should be on less. She suggested I tried taking a low-level dose continuously and then just up the dose a bit if I start getting hypo-manic or experience hallucinations. So I’ve been on this low-level dose now for a few months and so far no side-effects.
I’m applying for funding for a research project I want to do, but even if I wouldn’t get any money I can probably get a half-time teaching position at the university where I currently work come the fall, so we’ll probably manage economically (my husband has a full-time job) anyway. Although the National Bank’s research fund has already announced to me that my application made it to the second stage of their review, and they fund roughly fifty percent of the applications that make it to the second stage.
So I’m pretty good right now, actually. I kind of feel like I have my life pretty well in order right now. This is a tremendously good feeling considering I’ve been pretty badly off, mentality-wise, last year and the year before that.
@Kitteh, haven’t had chance to catch up, hope you and the mister are well. :) (After LOTS of hassle, my Louis book is apparently on the way now!)
Just a quick note.
Saw your reference to what I said in a previous thread ‘What doesn’t break you, makes you stranger’,
That has been a long running (years and years) joke with me and Mr. M.
In my defence, I don’t think it takes much to get from ‘stronger’ to ‘stranger’, especially when you are me. :) So I think Joker man copied me. :)
Sorry, will get back as soon as I can, things are a bit hectic here.
Lots and lots of hugs to all those in pain (mental or physical).
Lovely, lovely mind bleach gift for everybody, :)
Whoops, slipped back into the smiley zone.
Poo, poo, poo, try this,
Ouch, that sucks. Hugs for you, too.
I am a longtime lurker though I don’t really participate in the discussions to any great degree. I just wanted to throw out there I had been dealing with some very severe depression and self-destructive thoughts and I started keeping a journal to see if I could find any associations with diet and sleep.
In addition to the normal stuff (I’m better off eating nutritious food and sleeping enough at night; shocker) it turns out I may have a very common disorder where even small amounts of alcohol are hugely disruptive to my endocrine system, affecting my seratonin levels severely.
I enjoy a drink though I rarely drink to excess and it was hard to accept that even though I don’t in any way have “a drinking problem” I needed to try abstaining from alcohol entirely and see how it affected my mood.
Well, I regret to report it has been a very successful experiment and I am looking at the tough choice of abstaining from alcohol entirely over the long term. It hasn’t at all “cured” me of depression but it has been a revelation in terms of how hard it is for me to break out of severe depression and how quickly I return to severe depression once I start to feel better.
If you are struggling with any of this stuff I recommend starting a journal like the one I created – just write down what you eat and drink, when you go to bed, and when you wake up, and a brief blurb about how productive and optimistic you feel. In my case it took very little work to identify the pattern. Give it a try!
My life’s been getting better, honestly. I’m still in the shelter, but I have a job with a small-but-growing company, and I’m looking for a room to rent where they’ll let me bring my cat. It’s finally gotten to the point that stuff like calling people I don’t know and filling out paperwork doesn’t trigger massive panic attacks, for which I am incredibly relieved.
The one issue that’s really bugging me at the moment is my co-worker. At first, I could get along with her, but now, the more I deal with her, the more she seems to aggravate me. My main problem is that she just seems so unapologetically ignorant of things that I would expect an elementary schooler to know. Granted, I’m from a privileged background with very well-educated parents who read a lot, and she does have a seizure disorder, so I’ve been trying to check that, but then I mention something like kidneys or shots (the medical kind) and she’ll be all like, “I’ve never heard of that before in my life!” so then we have to explain to her that those things exist, or I’ll tell her to stop interrupting so that another worker can finish the story they’re telling only to have her insist on telling her semi-related story. And she wants to become a relationship counselor, for pete’s sake! She keeps trying to give relationship advice to the rest of us that just amounts to, “Pray to God to get you a good spouse. It worked for me, it’ll work for you.”
Otherwise, things seem to be working out. Jedi hugs to all the commentators who need them, and thanks for those ridiculously adorable deer hugs. Oh, and thanks to whoever posted the link to the 99 life hacks, those are pure genius.
@aracheoholmes
been there.
I was a vegetarian and went vegan two years ago and suddenly everybody has to discuss my health with me. Sometimes I feel like health is just an excuse for them not to change anything. Hey, it’s not like I’m a better person, or even claiming to be.I don’t even talk about my eating habits if I don’t have to. It seems to be very important to people that everyone shares their opinions and lifestyle, though…
Yay venting!
I made a lot of new friends in the past few weeks, and every.single.one wants to either sleep with me or start a relationship. I want to tattoo “leave me alone ” on my forehead. I even tell people I meet that I just want to be by myself, but they all seem to think they’re going to be the big exception. Can’t just be friends with anyone apparently, there’s always some hidden agenda(just for the people I met this year, bad luck maybe)
Also I don’t have time to post on manboobz. Meh.
Also hugs to everyone who needs them, there can’t be enough jedi hugs.
marinerachel: Ugh. That last twerp sounds like a classic Nice Guy [TM]. “I was there for you when you needed me so now I have a permanent claim on your attention, and if you don’t give it to me I’m going to pout about it and talk about how all women want is a jerk!” I’m glad you at least were able to ask your sister for assistance in dealing with him; for some guys like that, having direct evidence that they’re actually NOT your only support network is enough to send them packing.
My endometrium (for the point in my cycle when I had the ultrasound) is perfectly normal, according to the two docs I talked to. So, no biopsy, I get Provera for three months, and a follow up. If everything looks good, I’ll probably get an IUD. So, all that stress over pretty much nothing.
@KathleenB
Yay!!!
@TomBcat
long time, no see! Also, ugh Nice Guys
Fade: Pretty much my reaction! I was such a nervous wreck that my blood pressure was off the charts high. But everyone was very nice and understanding, even when I said I couldn’t even get through a basic pelvic. I kinda wish MrB was getting his check today, we’d have a celebratory lunch (both for this and our 12th anniversary, which was yesterday).
Kathleen, just an FYI, I used Depo Provera for about a year and didn’t do well on it (my body did not process the hormones evenly or something, I just know I basically had 3-month-long cycles from hell), and now I have the Mirena IUD and LOVE it. I’ve had it for a few years so I may be misremembering, but my doctor said something about my body not processing the hormones well due to the all-at-once delivery method. Since Mirena basically constantly lets out small amounts of it, my body responds really well to it. Just wanted to share in case you have a weird experience like I did. I hadn’t heard many women talk about having that experience (basically, it was all the normal cycle stuff, except spread out over 2-3 weeks apiece, so really not fun), so I like to share whenever I hear women talking about starting it. Hope that wasn’t TMI.
Also I do have something else to whine about…again just a small complaint, but it’s really upsetting me…turns out I have bacterial bronchitis. I’ve had this cough that wouldn’t go away for weeks but I didn’t feel sick so I just thought it was allergies, but it got worse over the weekend and finally Mr. AK was like, “You really need to go get that checked out.” I think he’s mostly just sick of sleeping alone since I cough all night and don’t want to keep him up. LOL
So anyway I went to the doctor and got diagnosed. The reason this is really upsetting to me is that I’m supposed to go to this big search and rescue conference with my dog, and I was really eager to take a few of the classes being offered. The trainers are some of the best cadaver and search dog trainers in the country and it’s relatively cheap–the registration cost for the entire conference is less than most of these trainers charge per training session. It’s also only a few hours from my house (these conferences aren’t uncommon but usually involve a lot of travel). So there’s a small chance that my cough might clear up enough for me to go as I’m on heavy-duty antibiotics now, but it’s not likely and I’m probably going to have to cancel. Oh yeah, and I already registered (non-refundable) and booked a hotel room with one of my teammates and can’t back out and leave her hanging, so I’m out about $300 for the weekend whether I attend or not.
So again, a very minor gripe compared to most of you but it’s starting to get really frustrating…it seems like I’ve had this neverending parade of random illnesses and injuries that keep totally derailing my plans. :( On the plus side at least I get to legally get high (I’m affected really strongly by hydrocodone which is what I was prescribed for my cough…also it probably explains this rambling post) and there’s a Law and Order: SVU marathon on which I mostly hate but I have a total crush on Mariska Hargitay so it’s good “I’m too out of it to follow the story line” watching.
RaulGroom, the points about keeping a journal and paying attention to food and drink are very good ones. I don’t have depression on anywhere the level near yours (my sympathies) but I have a hard time getting things done sometimes because of constant negative thoughts some days. For me, the absolute worst thing is getting up late. I need to get up early in the mornings almost everyday and make sure I eat some kind of vegetable or other healthy food at least once a day. It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure this out.
I think I might have to start drinking a little less too, but I really don’t want to.
Possibly good news, my grandfather has gone form delirious to demanding to know where his wallet is. That being his usual dementia complaint, I’m considering it normal. He’s in the ICGU (think icu for old people) though, so idk.
I should run though, I’m going along for the ride to mock my brother being turned into a chipmunk (he’s getting his wisdom teeth out and this is my just deserts for when I had mine done…before they broke, because I wasn’t an idiot and had them done before I left for college)
AK: I had a similar experience with the pill. I ended up having a FOUR WEEK period, complete with agonizing cramps the whole time. The doc gave me a Provera scrip to try to get me back to a normal cycle, which doesn’t sound too bad.
Hey Fade! ^^
Nice to stumble in once in a while!
I… would just like to share a kitten vodeo. May I?
Kathleen–yikes, that sounds even worse than my experience. I at least only had a 3 week period and tend not to cramp too badly (although I had them the whole time, they were just mild). I hope it works for you! I know a lot of women who swear by it. :)
… all the talk about periods… my worst was 8 weeks (with cramps), I was 12. Yes, I got hospitalized because of it. (I wasn’t careless. It was in the summer and no gynecologist was available in my town, as in everybody was on vacation.) :/
After what I (and my mom. SHE WAS F*CKING HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR WHAT HAPPENED WHEN SHE DID ALL IN HER MIGHT AND MORE) went through those days I feel myself entitled to be cynical, as I’m almost dead because of the carelessness and selfishness of entitled pricks.
… I’m so sorry… I really just logged in to post that kitten video. /o\
RE: Molly Ren
I misread that as ‘snake your brain,’ and was having a hell of a time figuring out what that meant I assumed you were having some kind of neurosurgery… thank god you’re not!
RE: Carleyblue
Regarding headaches, I get them a lot too. They’ve gotten better now that I drink more than two cups of water a day. Maybe try slugging down more water? It’s unlikely to hurt you, at least. Also, I too am on the wagon for medical reasons. (My meds react badly with alcohol.) It’s not a big deal for me, since I don’t much care for drinking, but my husband hates it.
I actually am doing a lot better, and mostly just feel bad for AUGHbombing a couple days ago. <.< For a while, I was worried I'd end up in a housing scare again, but it looks like I might be able to rewrangle my plans and keep things going, and my brain chemistry isn't trying to kill me. So things are okay, I might be able to hit the road as planned, and get the hell out of this stupid closet.
Also I have sun-dried tomatoes, which make everything in life better, as far as I'm concerned.
Dude, you AUGHbomb when you need to AUGHbomb. It is a benefit of being part of this community. Get some mozzarella to eat with your sun-dried tomatoes, if possible, and everything will be fine. (They’re good on their own too, or as a topping on linguini.)
RE: katz
I got cheddar–not quite as good, but ohhhhh, the SANDWICHES I will have for lunch today! (And with couscous and edamame and spinach… hrnnnnngh…)
I swear, I wish they sold sun-dried tomatoes in gigantic bags like potato chips. I’d just eat them in handfuls and die of flavor.
What katz said, LBT. I’m always happy to lend a cybershoulder, or at least an eye for your AUGH.
I mean, my only problems right now are getting through the working day, figuring out the character sheet for my next RPG session, and trying hard to look at the Cybermen for next week’s Whopisode and not see Iron Man.
Malita: Ouch! That sounds like the exact opposite of fun!
Those sound like highly delish sandwiches. Good cheddar is very tasty!
RE: ktaz
You want to know what the god sandwich is? Cheese, sun-dried tomato, and fresh basil.
Try to keep yourself from immediately ascending to the next plane of existence when you bite in, though.
RE: Falconer
Thanks. Past year has just been a humdinger, is all. I look forward immensely to when Social Security finally approves me and I can laugh about all this.
Ooh, I love basil. Hummus or stone-ground mustard would be a good condiment, too.
…Yeah, so I’m pretty much obligated to try this. That sounds amazing.
Okay, immensely painful conversation with my parents, but I now have a key to my front door and my check from my grandmother’s estate, so I should be good for several months, which really feels good. Wish my head did too, but if wishes were horses…
You ARE totally entitled to be cynical about people. Because people can seriously be shits.
@AJ: is your head hurting right now? In a headache kind of way? Because I’m not by any means an expert in concussions, but that sounds a little worrisome.
Hello everybody who supports this site, I love you and you’re all amazing like little turnips! Kisses and hugs!
RE: Aaliyah and katz
I just ate a cheese and sun-dried tomato sandwich. No basil or mustard, but still heavenly. Man, how did I survive a month or two without these things?
So I did a persuasive speech for my public speaking class recently, and in that speech I mentioned that I’m trans*.
Now I’ve just realized that I have even less control over who finds out I’m trans* because a lot more random people know and may tell acquaintances and so on. Some of whom may or may not be the conservative folks at school.
Well, I’ll just hope for the best I suppose.
@Aaliyah: I care about you and I care about what happens to you. Congratulations on screwing up the courage to tell a classroom full of people the truth about yourself.
If it means anything coming from a white-cis-het-dude, you are not alone.
Okay, I’m bringing this one up here because it’s ‘personal’–in that it involves some people I support and a movement I believe in. It also relates very much to Our Host’s mission, so, there’s that:
I’m literally shaking in rage right now….
Okay, from the top (I know a lot of you know all this already, but the background’s useful for those who haven’t followed it):
Following a few highly public outbreaks of misogyny within the Atheist movement, a group of bloggers and activists started Atheism+, an attempt to move beyond merely saying, “There’s no god(s),” to actually trying to make this world–the only one we believe we have–into a better place. While Atheism+ is working on an intersectional basis, the originating events mean that feminism is a primary focus.
Naturally, this has led to the usual stream of anti-feminists complaining about the threat to their privileged position. This ultimately focused in the blog of a particular writer, known mostly as ERV, who is very much of the FeMRA ilk. When her blog became too toxic for National Geographic to continue hosting on Science Blogs, they moved the gripefest over to a place they dubbed “The Slymepit”, a reference to their common epithet by various feminist atheist bloggers.
Slymepitters, in turn, have continued the harassment of several bloggers and event speakers, while opposing efforts to, among other things, institute strong anti-harassment policies at conferences. One thing that’s really sticking in their craw is Women in Secularism, a conference specifically geared towards women in the movement, meant to raise their profile a bit and make it easier for more gender-neutral conference hosts to recruit a more balanced set of speakers. (At prior conferences, sausage-fest have been the rule, to the point where a panel on “How do we get more women in the movement” had 4 men and one woman speaking.)
Now, a fellow named Justin Vacula has been particularly obnoxious about WiS2. He did a fund-raiser to get travel expenses and conference fees paid for himself, and has made no secret of his intention to attend, and try to ‘engage in debate’ with his opponents, most notably Ophelia Benson, of the blog Butterflies and Wheels.
I’m just gonna note here that A Voice For Men picked up one of Vacula’s own blog posts and re-posted it, approvingly.
So, there’s our background.
One problem with Vacula’s plan–WiS2 has a very strong anti-harassment policy, and Vacula’s public statements mean that he’s already been informed by his targets to stay away–and failing to do so will result in him getting kicked to the curb, probably with lots of video evidence of his actions (since he’s going to be watched like a hawk).
So, enter Karla Porter. Karla’s another anti-feminist woman who has worked with Vacula–I’m not sure if she’s a full-fledged co-host of his Brave Heroes podcast, or was just a major guest, and I’m not willing to listen to the shows to find out, but she’s very much on his side, and that of the other Slyme.
So, Karla, I suspect, figured that since Vacula can’t actually stir any shit with the kind of spotlight on him that his actions have earned, she’d try something a bit more subtle–she contacted another group, one likely to be hostile to WiS and Atheism+, and linked them to the conference site, suggesting that it would be a good place for them to go.
And who is this group? Why, that would be the fucking WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH.
Now remember, the Slymepitters all claim to be atheists and skeptics by trade. The WBC is the literal embodiment of everything the Atheist movement’s been fighting. They’re also a known hate group, willing to disrupt funerals and use intimidation tactics at other events in order to get their ‘message’ of “God Hates F***” across to the masses.
And Karla Porter contacted them, and pointed out WiS2’s suitability as a target.
I just… there’s no words. “Vile fucking pieces of shitpuke” might make a fair start, though.
*Deep breath to mention something happier* A friend of mine makes a fantastic caprese ‘salad’–mozzarella cheese slice on top of a tomato slice, all topped with fresh basil. You just eat all three layers at once with a fork. It needs no further garnish.
I haven’t been taking any painkillers, so I do still have a headache, but I’ve gotten some sleep.
I think that from now on we should refer to willingly involving yourself with Westboro Baptist as Godwin+.
RE: Freemage
Damn. Just wow. That’s the shittiest thing I’ve heard of since I learned how the gay rights movement treated Sylvia Rivera.
@LBT Thank you, drinking more water is a very good suggestion. I know I have never drunk enough water. It’s just one of those strange things.
@Freemage Holy Shit.The Slymepitters/MRAtheists have always astounded me with how vile they can be, but seriously? Seriously?
MRAtheists sometimes make me ashamed of calling myself an atheist.
Oh no, now my name is showing up as lrr7 instead of Carleyblue.
Hello everybody. I’m feeling pretty miserable and the new thread seems like the best place to post this. (Wow it got long.)
Firstly, I am so sorry that anyone has been suffering lately. Internet hugs to all that want them.
I de-lurked for a while and enjoyed it very much. However, I am going back to lurking after this comment. Thank you everyone, it’s been fun. :)
– @Aaliyah, I am sorry you have been feeling so rotten, and I hope that you feel better soon. I think you can get my email from David if you need it, although I won’t be on Man Boobz to talk.
– @Kitteh, in particular. I really enjoyed talking to you. I hope your knee feels better, and that the mister and kittens stay happy. :) Enjoy your Kindle when you get it. I will continue to visit your blog, and will try to work out how to comment there, if that’s okay?
– All sympathy to @David.
I realise you started this blog to tackle the MRA and to mock misogyny, I really respect what you do and will continue to donate.
Clearly, you did not create this space originally as a community for like-minded individuals to socialise.
I also realise that the direction Man Boobz has taken must be a massive responsibility, and probably one you wish you didn’t have, much of the time.
That being said, and not to David…
I do like the social aspect of Man Boobz. It does seem unique on the web, incredibly left of the middle, where all people are welcome, and where bigotry is not tolerated.
But after catching up on the thread before this one, I feel really upset.
I had hoped Man Boobz was a space that I could practice talking with people without all the dangers I feel the outdoors represents to me. I realise I am way too sensitive, so I think it’s probably best that I stop commenting.
Man Boobz is a place where bigotry and ableism is not okay, and where trolls are routinely roasted for their crap, as such I did not expect to see an individual rejected when they said they were feeling suicidal.
I realise @hellkell and @CassandraSays, you have been here a long time, but I think telling people to stay on thread can be done at a more appropriate time, like say, when the person in question stops talking about suicide!
I also think that an Internet thread is not like a verbal conversation, you are not forced to listen to what people are saying. If you don’t want to discuss the topic, ignore the poster’s comments, nobody is forcing you to read it.
I understand that sometimes keeping threads on topic is appropriate, but I’m sure most people would agree, when people start talking about suicide that is not one of those occasions!
Also @hellkell, @cassandraSays, I am sorry if this makes you feel bad, really, but people feeling bad didn’t seem to worry you too much yesterday so…
That being said, I am new so I don’t get to set the rules. And also, there were many, many lovely responses from others. I’m afraid that I find a couple of negative comments versus a lot of lovely ones have ruined it for me. Again, that is my problem. Focusing on the negative is a problem for me.
@Aaliyah, It worries me that you might think that I didn’t support you because I in any way agreed with the couple of negative responses you received, I did not agree with them. I wasn’t present during that thread, and only just got up to speed.
I don’t think that there was anything more important to discuss right then than how you were feeling. I hope that experience does not put you off sharing altogether.
I know things that people say quickly and without thought can stay with the person who receives that message for life.
I hope people disagreeing publicly with what was said to you will make you realise that not everybody is that thoughtless.
It also worries me that others, who feel that they can trust this community, now feel that they are unable to talk in case bloggers, other than David, take it upon themselves to police the appropriateness of comments. That would be a real shame.
Endless swearing at trolls is fine, but supporting a fellow human being – OFF TOPIC!
Seriously, what was said to Aaliyah was the cruelest thing I’ve seen on Man Boobz, even considering Derick! He was talking in the abstract, and it was appalling, this was said in context and at a time of distress, in my opinion, much worse!
So, didn’t plan on finishing on such a sour note, but my own personal issues don’t allow me to stay in a space that makes me feel worse about life than I already do. So sorry to everybody, you are a lovely group.
Hope that all made sense. All very complicated and not exactly the kind of thing I’ve ever written in an essay, so grammatically very dodgy.
Thank you again all you lovely Boobzers. It’s been fun. :)
So, obviously, I will have to finish on a funny note. I choose Angry Kid (of course).
Take good care everyone. :(
Ueah, I saw that. I’m impressed* that they managed to dig their pit so deeply that they cracked their own foundations.
*in a “horrified viewing of an individual intent on failure” sort of way.
RE: Carleyblue/lrr7
Yeah, I used to be a freaking camel (part and parcel of the ED, I guess) But once I started toting a water bottle everywhere, surprise surprise! I stopped getting those ‘brain pushing my eyeballs out of my skull’ headaches nearly so often! Imagine that.
Also, kinda OT, but I remember suicide stuff was coming up in earlier threads, so I thought I might share some of the stuff I do for it.
1. I actually made a zine that I can keep in my wallet, expressly for the purpose of those (thankfully rare, but extremely dangerous) days where I am so batshit insane that I can’t remember basic cause and effect. It’s obviously limited, but it’s always in my back pocket and everyone in the system is under strict orders to pull it out if shit goes wrong, since we can be in such a state that we can’t remember basic things like phone numbers.
2. When I was feeling a bit better, I wrote up this big long thing of things I can do when I’m depressed. Distractions are a major help with me, but there’s also just plain activities that help me regain mental energy without hurting myself. Writing it down helps a lot, since on really bad days my brain will just immediately jump to, “Don’t eat! You’ll feel better!” I can give longer details if folks are interested; it involves things like going outside or to places I feel safe in, or books I can read–I have a HUGE reading list of things to read for specific stuff, complete with page numbers, for almost any mental malady I’ve had. ED, family issues, depression, whatever it is, I’ve found a book for it. (Can you tell I hoped to be a librarian, as a wee thing?)
omfg Freemage.
Movement atheism is such a goddamn mess.
Porter posted something basically trying to wash her hands of wrongdoing. It’s a head-scratcher, to say the least.
http://personal.karlaporter.com/post/49834626607/words-at-odds
Ugh, ok, I have to stop reading now :( :( :( Justin Vacula is such a perfect representative of what movement atheism really stands for that I want to vomit.
Jedi Hugs to everyone! You are all awesome people and it’s a testiment to how awesome you all are with all these different sad circumstances.
My employment woes are not nearly as bad – I’m working two part time jobs that are good overall, I just don’t have health insurance and am working from paycheck-paycheck. I’m mainly working to find a better full time job (while teaching college classes on the side) and get an actual BIG ADULT PERSON JOB.
Sir Briz is being deployed to Afghanisan at the end of the month for four months :(. He works a civilian job for the DOD and won’t be in any real danger, but I’m still going to miss the shit out of him. I’m throwing a going away party for him in two weeks with a taco bar and margaritas.
inurashii: That made me flinch. He’s NOT what ‘movement atheism’ is about or ‘stands for’–PZ Meyers, Greta Christina, Ophelia Benson, Ian Cromwell, Rebecca Watson… These are ‘movement Atheists’. I can’t deny that Vacula is ~also~ a movement Atheist–that way lies the Scottish Authentication Board, and I refuse to indulge in that sort of hypocrisy. But Skepchick and Freethought Blogs show that it’s perfectly possible to be a movement Atheist while checking your privilege–which means that it’s going to be possible for us to jettison the likes of Vacula from the movement (or at the very least, operate without involving him, no matter how much he claims to want to speak for us).
Ophelia – I’m sorry you’re going back to lurking but it’s very understandable why. And yes, PLEASE contact me on my blog! There’s a “leave a comment” bit under every post, and I’d love to swap emails, if you’d like. I don’t want to lose contact with you!
That spaghetti video is great. :)
Malitia – “post a kitten video if I may,” she says, like anyone not a troll would object! :D Kitties, adorable …
Extra hugs for anyone wanting them.
Minor but Happy: here’s the first of the new Secret Lentil things that arrived yesterday, as photographed by my local barista-cum-fashion-photographer.
Kitteh: that looks great!
I got a call from the GYN about my bloodwork this afternoon. I’m anemic–anemic almost to the point of transfusion anemic, and off to the hematologist I go. FML. At least this could explain my fatigue and jerkbrain/depression acting up.
Thanks, hellkell!
Shoot, that sucks about your anemia. I hope there’s a more straightforward treatment than it sounds like (okay, sentence structure from hell, hope it’s intelligible).
I hesitate to say this after the thread of weirdness but…how’s your diet? Red meat is the quickest and easiest source of iron. Beans work too, so maybe lots of chilli for a while?
Totally not the point of the picture, but I like the hat!
I eat meat and lots of dark veg, but I try to limit red meat, which I’ll be increasing along with iron supplements and vitamin C to boost absorption. I absolutely detest beans, it’s a texture thing for me.
Thing is, if my uterus is a fucked as I suspect and I’ll need it out, I’ll lobby for a transfusion just to give me a jumpstart.
Better a transfusion than shots, honestly. Have you ever had them before? I had them when I was younger and they made me feel so nauseous.
“Totally not the point of the picture, but I like the hat!”
Thanks! I knitted it.
Never had the shots before.
Conversation after always went “I’m going to puke!”, “please try not to do that in the car”, “no really I think I’m going to puke”. They’re horrible, even worse than iron pills.
After reading Porter’s explanation yesterday as to why she informed Shirley Phelps-Roper of WiS2 and provided her with dates, how it was a joke (whuuuuuuu…) and that it certainly wasn’t intended to inform the WBC of anything that might be of interest to them, I barfed in my mouth a little.