Thread: Rant and Rave, Cry and Complain

Originally Posted by anderj101

I lost a friend this morning to a long battle with cancer. He was just too young to go at 31. Thoughts and prayers to his family.

Sorry to hear man, that's really young for cancer especially.

*whines* My 17 year old son just came into my room to tell me he found something disturbing in his dresser. It was a dead and almost completely decayed critter. He said it could have been a large rat or small cat but it was too far gone and liquefied. What was left of the fur was black. The drawer was completely closed when he opened and discovered it.
How did it get in there? How long was it in there? Did the poor thing starve to death? Did someone put it in there and trap it? Could it have been my daughter? Was it a "pet" that was forgotten or was it intentional torture?
Another possibility is that it crawled in the drawer to die because the drawer was partially opened and then someone closed it not knowing it was in there. I REALLY hope that's what happened!!!!!
I am also REALLY glad I'm not the one who discovered it!!!!

**EDIT**
*whew* Hubby just explained to me that even when a dresser is closed, there's enough space for things to crawl up between the back of the dresser and get into the drawers. I really didn't like the possibility that my daughter could be a serial killer in the making

I'm sure someone else here has been having anxiety about all of the predictions of the technological singularity and stuff like transhumanism... Does anyone have suggestions how to reduce anxiety? Maybe any articles or things that will stop me from being so freaking afraid of the future? (It's scaring the shit out of me. I hate computers, they are the worst, they make us stupid, they make us obsolete, and they are only reinforcing materialism and consumerism to the extreme, which is going to most likely destroy the environment and kill us all either by robo-apocalypse, a The Matrix/Terminator scenario, or just depletion of nature and resources until we are all suffocating on lack of oxygen.)

HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO NOT FREAK OUT ABOUT THIS?!?!?

Originally Posted by ThePreserver

I'm sure someone else here has been having anxiety about all of the predictions of the technological singularity and stuff like transhumanism... Does anyone have suggestions how to reduce anxiety? Maybe any articles or things that will stop me from being so freaking afraid of the future? (It's scaring the shit out of me. I hate computers, they are the worst, they make us stupid, they make us obsolete, and they are only reinforcing materialism and consumerism to the extreme, which is going to most likely destroy the environment and kill us all either by robo-apocalypse, a The Matrix/Terminator scenario, or just depletion of nature and resources until we are all suffocating on lack of oxygen.)

HOW THE FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO NOT FREAK OUT ABOUT THIS?!?!?

just wait til the discordians take down the electrical grid.

^

Well, as much help as that last answer was, I'd say this..

STOP THINKING ABOUT THE DAMN FUTURE!!!

They say thinking about the past is being absorbed in memories, and thinking bout the future is anxiety (something like that anyway). They're both rather unproductive. Unless you're planning something for the future, you shouldn't be fixating on it. Turn off the (bad)news, get yourself a hobby, and spend countless productive hours doing something fun and entertaining. Hell, play violent destructive video games - that'll take your mind off it!!

Sassafrax has actually got a damn good point too... shit, whatever is predicted for the future may not even happen... something far worse could totally supersede it! Isn't that happy news?!! How pointless and dumb would it be to do all that worrying and then a giant solar flare or asteroid wipes us all out - you should have been getting laid or partying!!

Originally Posted by Sassafrax

just wait til the discordians take down the electrical grid.

Chances are I'll be one of those people... a Neo-Luddite, if you will. I'll be perfectly capable of surviving off of the land, growing what I need, not relying on technology (Hell we still use a wood stove to heat our home, grow our own veggies, use a local butcher, and cut down our own trees for firewood!) But what happens to society when a solar flare shuts down the grid?! Things just fall APART! We're so reliant on everything now... it's terrible, and it's going by so fast that people don't realize they're becoming addicted to this nonsense.

Originally Posted by ThePreserver

Chances are I'll be one of those people... a Neo-Luddite, if you will. I'll be perfectly capable of surviving off of the land, growing what I need, not relying on technology (Hell we still use a wood stove to heat our home, grow our own veggies, use a local butcher, and cut down our own trees for firewood!) But what happens to society when a solar flare shuts down the grid?! Things just fall APART! We're so reliant on everything now... it's terrible, and it's going by so fast that people don't realize they're becoming addicted to this nonsense.

It's called Chaos; don't fear it.

Originally Posted by Sassafrax

It's called Chaos; don't fear it.

But I'm human. I find comfort in slow change and calmness. I like my small community, it's very "old fashioned" but I love it. We live back in the woods, everyone has many acres (we have about 20 and my grandparents have about 100 next to us and across the road.) I'm not ready for so much change, I can't handle it.

Then take comfort in your knowledge and in being prepared. I live in a very small town too. I don't know how to garden or hunt but I'm a quick study My hubby is sort of obsessed with the idea of society crashing so he's stocked up on food and water for our family of 6 for 2 years. We save pennies from 1983 and earlier because they're actually worth 3 cents (or something like that) and could be melted down for the metal. We save nickles for the same reason (any year). Do what you can to prepare. It will come in handy for any sort of disaster. But try not to obsess over it.
I don't share my hubby's fear. If it happens, it happens. At least I live in the country!!!
The present has enough anxieties without fretting over the fate of the world!

That's actually pretty comforting. I have lots of knowledge, I know how to use a gun (We have TONS of guns, too). I'm fairly capable with simple machines and basic physics (as well as nuclear physics, but unless I can get some graphite and uranium to build a Nuke that's worthless), so I'd be able to survive just fine. I have a lot of knowledge with electronics (basic) to be able to "make that stuff work." AND in such a small community, we could band together since we all have many skills as well as small farms.

I'm ready for an apocalypse... and I'll have my family

Originally Posted by Zhaylin

The present has enough anxieties without fretting over the fate of the world!

Absolutely. I was fine all my life until the cause of my depression and anxiety: climate change fears. Fears that I won't have the future career I've been planning for all my life because there will be apocalyptic climate change happening in my life time... it made me want to kill myself before it actually happens, many times. I like nature, so no other scares have affected me.

I could be doing well on anti-depressants, jogging, eating right, everything could be going fine, and if something scared me like Republicans taking control and destroying the environment even more, and seeing no hope or change about it, literally NONE of the lifestyle changes mentioned before would have a god damn impact on my bleak, intense desire to kill myself. So I try to ignore it and say whatever happens, happens. Being miserable is not the same as being realistic and responsible.

It's really difficult, though, to NOT focus on the future. I'm a college kid, and the only thing that we're ever told to do is plan for the future. I have no idea what it will be like... my career field may not even exist. Just so much frustration!

Originally Posted by Zhaylin

*whines* My 17 year old son just came into my room to tell me he found something disturbing in his dresser. It was a dead and almost completely decayed critter. He said it could have been a large rat or small cat but it was too far gone and liquefied. What was left of the fur was black. The drawer was completely closed when he opened and discovered it.
How did it get in there? How long was it in there? Did the poor thing starve to death? Did someone put it in there and trap it? Could it have been my daughter? Was it a "pet" that was forgotten or was it intentional torture?
Another possibility is that it crawled in the drawer to die because the drawer was partially opened and then someone closed it not knowing it was in there. I REALLY hope that's what happened!!!!!
I am also REALLY glad I'm not the one who discovered it!!!!

**EDIT**
*whew* Hubby just explained to me that even when a dresser is closed, there's enough space for things to crawl up between the back of the dresser and get into the drawers. I really didn't like the possibility that my daughter could be a serial killer in the making

AHHHHH fuck you Zhaylin (playfully) But seriously I can't read your posts anymore. I said I wasn't going to before because it just makes me stressed lol But I really can't anymore.
This one just reminded me of this recurring dream I have every now and again where I have forgotten to feed my dog (who is long dead IRL), but in the dream I think I have just forgotten about her for an indefinite period of time. And she has been starving in the back yard for quite a while, maybe months or years. When I realise, I'm running around quickly trying to find something for her to eat.

That was a really weird feeling to remember that dream.

Originally Posted by ThePreserver

That's actually pretty comforting. I have lots of knowledge, I know how to use a gun (We have TONS of guns, too). I'm fairly capable with simple machines and basic physics (as well as nuclear physics, but unless I can get some graphite and uranium to build a Nuke that's worthless), so I'd be able to survive just fine. I have a lot of knowledge with electronics (basic) to be able to "make that stuff work." AND in such a small community, we could band together since we all have many skills as well as small farms.

I'm ready for an apocalypse... and I'll have my family

Cool info, I'll be coming to steal your grains and guns

Originally Posted by ThePreserver

It's really difficult, though, to NOT focus on the future. I'm a college kid, and the only thing that we're ever told to do is plan for the future. I have no idea what it will be like... my career field may not even exist. Just so much frustration!

That's highly unlikely. Depending on what you're doing of course. What arr you studying?
Also, planning for the future is good. But you should plan, and that's it. And if some circumstance changes, you change your plans to accommodate it, or change the thing that changed if possible lol
But obsessing about or even just thinking about it for more than a few minutes is just pointless.
It's exactly what darkmatters said, thinking about the past is to be regretful and longing, and thinking about the future is to be anxious and unsure.
Both a waste of time; both stop you from actually living, which is right now.

LOL - Have a look at the first paragraph of the Discordian wiki "Discordianism is a religion based on the worship of Eris (also known as Discordia), the Greco-Roman goddess of strife. It was founded circa 1958–1959 after the publication of its (first) holy book the Principia Discordia, written by Malaclypse the Younger and Omar Khayyam Ravenhurst after a series of shared hallucinations at a bowling alley. There are many citation needed mentions on this page. This is incorrect, as there can not possibly be disinformation on this page. Discordianism by it's very nature allows for perpetual morphology of it's terms, rules, and truths. The only citation needed, at present, and indeterminably into the future, is the wiki page itself. See the conversation between Malaclypse the Younger and the Greater Poop below. See also the section entitled Organization."

Originally Posted by tommo

This one just reminded me of this recurring dream I have every now and again where I have forgotten to feed my dog (who is long dead IRL), but in the dream I think I have just forgotten about her for an indefinite period of time. And she has been starving in the back yard for quite a while, maybe months or years.

I often have dreams and fears similar to this. Like I forgot to feed a dog or some other animal, or one is waiting for me for some other reason. Even in real life I'll get the feeling like there's something terrible like that that I've forgotten but can't think of anything. Then there are the dreams that I've forgotten that I'm taking a class and realize it near the middle of the semester, then finally attend but am way too far behind. Zhaylin even though you don't seem to get out much, it seems that exciting things tend to happen to you a lot more than they do to the average person.

Originally Posted by Dianeva

Zhaylin even though you don't seem to get out much, it seems that exciting things tend to happen to you a lot more than they do to the average person.

That is one plus hehe

Glad I could help, even a little, ThePreserver

Deery, I don't tend to worry about world changing problems because I'm one of those weird and somewhat sick/crazy people who feels such a change would be exciting and full of adventure So my worries are of the boring kind: "What are my kids going to do next; What else is going to go wrong with my house; My hubby actually expects me to fix what- I don't have that knowledge?!"

I have a lot of dreams about forgetting to feed pets or pets unexpectedly just dying. I also have a lot of dreams about forgetting to go to work or school. I've not been in school, gosh, for 20 years and I still have that dream. And I've never had a real job. Go figure.

Today rant is that I slept too long and I need to 1) go to the store and buy some people food, dog food and TP 2) I need to crawl under the trailer again and try to figure out how to remove the leaky pipe and cap it off, then staple some more plastic underneath to insulate the other pipes 3) I need to try to figure out a way to clean out all the AC vents 4) I need to rearrange the living room so I can clean the intake for the furnace
Plus, I just woke up and my jaw is already annoying me. Darnit Wellbutrin- you work so well with my mood but you're killing my jaw!!!

Originally Posted by tommo

Cool info, I'll be coming to steal your grains and guns

Like HELL you will. Us townspeople will band together and destroy anyone who tries to march in. You're welcome to JOIN us though, if you have a skill set or supplies that would benefit the town as a whole. Damn apocalypse, always making things complicated.

Bah! I quit for the day. I've not eaten yet so I'm a bit shaky. And now I'm sore and cranky and my feet are just now starting to warm up.
I told hubby I planned on using some heavy duty aluminum foil, zip-tying it over the pipe, then capping that off with a medicine bottle lid and taping around the whole thing.
He said capping it wouldn't work so he scrounged around in his garage and found a thick screw and some screw-tightening clamps.
So, under the trailer I went- in a long skirt tied at my waist, jogging tights, a long sleeve shirt with a short-sleeved white shirt over top it I wore socks and sandals

I cut the pipe with some cutter thing hubby gave me (which we first used to measure the screws). I screwed in the screw nice and snug then super taped over it all with the waterproof tape. I had my son turn on the water and I was promptly soaked. Not because it gushed out though. Then it took me almost 30 minutes to cut off the tape. I cut off some pipe, tried again without the tape, it still leaked. Hubby insisted it could not be leaking. I explained it was coming from the plug not the pipe or the joint. He's still in disbelief lol.
He looked for another screw and another clamp. He told me not to clamp at the end of the screw but further down. I tried again but I can't screw it all the way in. The second screw, while just as thick, isn't as finely threaded and the end (or is it the beginning) of the screw is smooth whereas the threading went from end to end with the first one.
So, TOMORROW, I need to find something to help me screw the screw into the pipe.

When I came inside, my socks were soaked, my skirt was soaked, my long sleeves were damp and my white shirt was still mostly clean It only had a couple specks of dirt on it.

OMG! After searching for my spare DJ mixer for nearly 45 minutes, I discovered that I actually put it back into its proper storage case the last time I used it. That *NEVER* happens...

Nostalgia.... I want to stab you.... with a fork... in the eye... and watch you writhe... then bite your heart out and eat it...

Nostalgia is just as bad as uncertainty... Wishing to be in the past and wishing to NOT be going into the future.

Originally Posted by Zhaylin

Have fun on your date, Puffin! I second what LinkZelda said

I'm a little late for saying this, but thank you Zhaylin; I got back from it half an hour ago and figured I should provide an update: it went great. I surprised myself at how much I could relate to him.

Originally Posted by anderj101

So do I. I didn't have it years ago, but it has kicked in the last couple years. It's usually half a hand turns white and loses circulation. I have been taking a Hawthorn Berry extract for it with much success. I use either crushed berries in tea or the capsules for a daily circulation maintenance, and an alcohol-based extract for emergency use. Works wonderfully, but may interact with some blood pressure meds.

Here's a link to it on Wikipedia.

Wish you luck!

Thanks, the link helped a lot.

Originally Posted by Solarflare

Nostalgia.... I want to stab you.... with a fork... in the eye... and watch you writhe... then bite your heart out and eat it...

I agree, brethren

Glad it went well Puffin

It's a very drizzly, dreary day. I slept from around midnight-noon!! Here shortly, I have to work on the water pipe some more. If hubby's way doesn't work after a couple of time I'm going to do it my way- I'll shove crap into the pipe and tape it off (it's a dead-end pipe. It only went to the half-bath so clogging it wouldn't affect the rest of the house). The pipe is just a tad less round than a dime, so I shouldn't be having THIS much freagin difficulty with it.

I'm not sore yet, but I will be tonight and tomorrow. But why is that? Why the delay in soreness lol?

My head and nose are clogged and my hair is so greasy I look like a greaser. I desperately need a bath which means I HAVE to fix the water today. The weather has also been giving me horrible pressure headaches. I MUST remember to get some valium off of my hubby today. I hate taking that stuff but it's the best thing I've found for migraines and extreme headaches.

I can't believe I slept so freagin long.

**EDIT**
Speaking to my son as I entered my room after working on the pipe: "Adios. I'm soaking wet and sore and I'm not sharing [my computer] until I get on Skyrim later..... Plus, I think I sat in cat crap."
He thought that was the most hilarious thing he's ever heard- or so you'd think the way he laughed at me
BUT, the water leak is FINALLY "fixed".