Thread: Rant and Rave, Cry and Complain

Originally Posted by MoonageDaydream

Yes, these are first world problems. And, thinking about Ukraine, things could be so much worse. However, I really don't need all this right now.

As true as that may be, I'll paraphrase what someone once told me; it's okay to feel crap, low or bad, because you're you and just because someone else is having it bad too doesn't invalidate your own situation.



I'm feeling decent, been managing to keep up with several things lately, but so many annoying (and long-term) aches at the moment which are interfering with things.

One of the things I find most annoying in life is dealing with certain categories of people, usually the ones that seem to have no awareness on their impact on you and your life or those who are aware and deliberately ignore that for their own benefit. Right now for me, that's the kind of people that you barely know and are therefore acquaintances at best, and who are constantly tugging at you, usually in the hopes of getting something.

Apart from that, I've recently been having more trouble than usual with my back and it's taking a while to get back to how it was, hopefully won't interfere too much with stuff in the coming weeks, it seems to mostly be easing off after a few days now.

I just got back from my camping trip to Cayo Costa. I am so exhausted and my legs are super sore. I don't think I stopped moving in the 4 days I was out there! Hikes at dawn for 2 hours every morning, then, hiking around the island, then of course another beach hike in the afternoons, and then let's go hike around and look for firewood. Now I feel like I can barely move

On the plus side, found some amazing shells, and I had an amazing time. On the not so plus side, got bit up badly by no-see-ums. I am so itchy right now.

Originally Posted by DarkestDarkness

My partner was also concerned about a nuclear situation, I have been less so because of the statesman aspect that Sivason mentioned. At the end of the day I feel he is a politician concerned with being a politician and like mostly any politician, I think he wants to "survive" and be seen in the best light possible.

Originally Posted by Sivason

Putin is more composed than that and I think it is a good sign as far as not destroying the world.

Originally Posted by Voldmer

IMO Putin is somewhat crazy, but he is by no stretch of the imagination dumb, and he will not do something that would get him killed and his empire destroyed. Therefore no WW3.

I know you guys feel that WW3 is not likely, as well as nuclear attack, but I just want to suggest preparing *just in case*. While supplies are still readily available. Should things get worse, things can go from somewhat stable to bad really really fast. At that point, it's too late to prepare.

Some things I recommend to do now:

1. Form a plan of where you would go if you needed to evacuate. You don't want to be anywhere near a military base, government building, or very populated city. You can find maps that predict the relative safety of areas.
2. Get a supply of water and food for at least a few days, possibly a bag you can take with you if you're stuck somewhere like work (note: tap water may not be safe to drink if there's a nuclear attack due to fallout).
3. If you can, get potassium iodide pills (more important if you have children). The availability of these pills will not last if things get worse, they will sell out, like N95 masks did in March 2020. They don't protect against all forms of radiation, but they do protect against one form (radioactive iodine). I know my ex-husband, who works on a nuclear submarine and used to be the reactor operator (now he's XO), has been required to have them on hand. **Edit: Not sure if he was required to have them or not, I do remember he was the one who told me about it.**
4. Get a P100 respirator. It can be a regular mask (they are cheap), doesn't necessarily have to be a gas mask. In the event of a disaster, that can protect against breathing in most fallout.
5. Make sure you read up on what to do should a nuclear attack happen (don't look at the flash, get inside, discard clothing and shower, stay inside, use a battery operated or hand crank radio).

Don't want to scare anybody. It's important to not be afraid of the subject, though, and do whatever we can to be ready.

So glad it's the weekend. I was supposed to go fossil hunting with my friend this weekend and camping, but I am staying home instead. Need the rest, and all day felt dizzy, and like something is clogging my head. I think I might be getting sick again

Work has been intense lately and stressful. Honestly, it's going to be stressful until late May from here on out. I have IEP meeting every single day, and now, not only in the mornings, but the afternoons too. And high profile ones. Ugh. Just today had a meeting with 3 district people present. The district ESE lady (my boss' boss) wanted the district psychologist to give feedback first. Well, this majorly pissed off one of the math teachers. He had an absolute fit and very very mad at me at lunch today in the lunchroom. I tried to explain that it wasn't my decision, tried to explain who the district lady was, and that it was probably for legal reasons. He said he was going to file a grievance report and tell the principal, then stalked off out of the room to do so.

Honestly, I don't give a damn. For what reason? 15 minutes of his time I wasted? I apologized, what more can I do? He can **** himself.

On the plus side, my boss sent me an email saying she is buying me lunch next week because of all the hard work. I thought that was really nice and it made my day.

I am going to spend all weekend resting and CLEANING SHELLS! I got so many from Cayo Costa. Going to dip them in HCl.

Stuff like that sucks, with the meetings and blaming and so on. That's the worst of anything in a job, being blamed for something that you have no control over. On one hand I can understand why people do it, and on the other hand it would be nice if people could be more understanding about it too. Nice about the lunch at least, helps to feel appreciated.

I'm also getting dizzy spells frequently at the moment and it has made things difficult on a few days. Weather changed here recently, compared to what it had been, any similar changes for you?

Mostly just curious here, are you using the hydrochloric acid neat, or as a solution? Are the shells mostly calcium? Wondering if it takes some of the calcium away. (Related topic was recently in my mind)

Originally Posted by DarkestDarkness

Stuff like that sucks, with the meetings and blaming and so on. That's the worst of anything in a job, being blamed for something that you have no control over. On one hand I can understand why people do it, and on the other hand it would be nice if people could be more understanding about it too. Nice about the lunch at least, helps to feel appreciated.

I'm also getting dizzy spells frequently at the moment and it has made things difficult on a few days. Weather changed here recently, compared to what it had been, any similar changes for you?

Mostly just curious here, are you using the hydrochloric acid neat, or as a solution? Are the shells mostly calcium? Wondering if it takes some of the calcium away. (Related topic was recently in my mind)

It's all right. The principal (and everyone else) knows that guy can be a bit crazy sometimes. Trust me, I am not getting in any trouble. As one teacher in the lunchroom said "He's having one of his moments." Thanks for the sympathy It's appreciated.

Yeah, the weather was rainy and then yesterday stopped.

I'm using impure HCl (muriatic acid) as a diluted solution (3:1). The shells are calcium carbonate. If you leave the shells in there long enough they will dissolve completely. I dip them for 5 seconds. So basically, seashells have calcification (from ocean water) that accumulate over time on top of the natural shell. This is why shells look different when they're wet on the beach (you can't see the calcification as much when the shell is wet), compared to when they dry out at home. They lose a lot of color and have a whitish cast to them after drying - that's the calcification. So, dipping them in HCl / muriatic acid for a few seconds removes this surface calcification while leaving the shell intact. It restores the original shell coloring.

I had one of my required two observations today (where the assistant principal comes in and watches me teach, judging my every move ).This one is my "informal" meaning, they just pop in your room. The other is my "formal" which will be in about 2 weeks. Good news though! I got 5 innovatings (highest score), and nothing lower. AND I got my target element. Basically, you have to pick one of about 40 different elements that will be your "target" for the year. The administrator doesn't know what my element is. They have to see it while I'm teaching. If I get it, it's about a $1000 bonus for me. You get the two shots, that's it. So, really thrilled that I got my element today during my informal. It takes a LOT of stress of me for my upcoming formal. My element was "Reviewing Content".



When he walked in, my kids were doing a Google Jamboard, which is basically an interactive digital activity (it happened to be review of the 5 kingdoms) where they all answered questions with pictures together. Then after that, they read a reading passage. I had them read out loud. Then, I gave everyone a highlighter and while they answered the questions, they had to go back into the passage and highlight where they found the answers. I walked around, and whoever found the answers within a couple minutes got a sticker.

Well. It's been a fun month, but, unfortunately, I have shown myself (once again) that I cannot maintain my weight without being on a diet. So. Back to keto today. Ah well. I'm used to it.

Let me just say, it is VERY hard being a woman. It's just not the same for us. It's also not same from when I was in my 20s. It was so easy then.

On the plus side, I am training now 4 times a week (instead of 3) with my trainer, starting next week. I'm actually really excited about it. I love love love the changes and the self-esteem boost from working out and getting in shape. And I feel really proud because my trainer told me that out of all of his clients, I have made the most progress.

Originally Posted by MoonageDaydream

Well. It's been a fun month, but, unfortunately, I have shown myself (once again) that I cannot maintain my weight without being on a diet. So. Back to keto today. Ah well. I'm used to it.

Let me just say, it is VERY hard being a woman. It's just not the same for us. It's also not same from when I was in my 20s. It was so easy then.

On the plus side, I am training now 4 times a week (instead of 3) with my trainer, starting next week. I'm actually really excited about it. I love love love the changes and the self-esteem boost from working out and getting in shape. And I feel really proud because my trainer told me that out of all of his clients, I have made the most progress.

I am in the same boat. I have decided that I will gain too much weight any time I just relax and do not have a structured diet. My years of playing with this has lead me to believe it can not be a diet. Something like keto can cause weight loss but it is not something to stay on forever. A couple years back I asked a very fit man for his advice. He said, eat just a couple hundred fewer calories than you need. Loss however much over a couple years. Do this with a balanced diet but a few less calories than it takes to stay the same. The idea was to figure out how many calories it would take to stay your dream goal and never diet below that amount. So in the end you have formed a lifestyle that is perfect for staying your goal weight.
Sorry to give unsolicited advice, but I have yo-yo'd my whole life and find that guys advice very useful.

Originally Posted by Sivason

I am in the same boat. I have decided that I will gain too much weight any time I just relax and do not have a structured diet. My years of playing with this has lead me to believe it can not be a diet. Something like keto can cause weight loss but it is not something to stay on forever. A couple years back I asked a very fit man for his advice. He said, eat just a couple hundred fewer calories than you need. Loss however much over a couple years. Do this with a balanced diet but a few less calories than it takes to stay the same. The idea was to figure out how many calories it would take to stay your dream goal and never diet below that amount. So in the end you have formed a lifestyle that is perfect for staying your goal weight.
Sorry to give unsolicited advice, but I have yo-yo'd my whole life and find that guys advice very useful.

I hear you. Maybe some day I will figure out this magical balance. I have hope!

My problem is that when I am not keto I get ravenous. I feel so hungry all the time. Plus, it feels like I eat one chip and then I gain a pound! It's so much easier for me to just watch carbs (and when I say keto, I'm really more like 40g net carbs a day, so not that bad). I never feel hungry when keto, so it does work for me. I can adjust carb level to either lose weight or maintain. It's just not fun and also I do feel the need to eat more fruit than I can. I wish I could eat more blueberries..

Have y'all tried intermittent fasting? It's pretty helpful with weight management

Originally Posted by yuppie11975

Have y'all tried intermittent fasting? It's pretty helpful with weight management

Haven't tried it. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into it.

But let me tell you. I get on the scale today and I'm right back to where I started a month ago!! And I've only been keto for 3 days. Maybe it's just carb stores / water weight... but 4 lbs? I don't know. I'm just happy. Going to stay keto for a while I think.

Had my formal today. It went great - got 6 innovatings. So happy to BE DONE with it. A lot of stress off my shoulders. A couple hours after the evaluation, the principal came to say he heard glowing reviews about my formal. Ha! That was cool.

I still have testing coming up, but, that's not nearly as stressful. Now that my two observations are out of the way, I want to start vamping up my lucid dreaming practice a bit early this year. So that way by the time summer break hits, I've got a head start. Can't wait to really get back into it!!

Rant: My foot is killing me. I dropped a heavy log on my foot... It's been sore for the past few days.

Rave: Been here for 7 years!

Originally Posted by HumbleDreamer

Rant: My foot is killing me. I dropped a heavy log on my foot... It's been sore for the past few days.

Rave: Been here for 7 years!

No steel boots or anything when doing stuff like that? Even minor injuries on feet or hands can feel very aggravating and make normal things difficult. Hopefully your foot recovers soon though.

And congratulations on your long-term DV stay. I am now wondering who's been around the longest and is still active.

---

My own rant is that I've had to pause updating my DJ here because a few days ago the last dream I had made initial notes for on my phone is temporarily irrecoverable because of physical damage to it, and I don't want to jumble the order of my DJ here until, or if, I can get it back, maybe in a few days.

I was in my house when I dropped it on my foot. It's still a bit swollen.

you for the Congrats!
Sorry about losing your Entries.

Originally Posted by DarkestDarkness

And congratulations on your long-term DV stay. I am now wondering who's been around the longest and is still active.
.

I see Oreironaut Zero who started april 2005 had some activity this month.

Originally Posted by Sivason

I see Oreironaut Zero who started April 2005 had some activity this month.

How about Umbrasquall who Joined 2003-10-03 and was Last active in 2019. Lucid-wannabe who Joined on 2003-09-24 and was on 2022-01-30?

Super sick. Not feeling good, at all.

Originally Posted by MoonageDaydream

Super sick. Not feeling good, at all.

Feel better soon!

Originally Posted by HumbleDreamer

Feel better soon!

Thanks. Bought another covid test..

Rave: I don't have covid. And, I am feeling a lot better.

Rant: I did something weird to my pinky on accident last night. It bent backwards the wrong way. Now it hurts a lot, it's red around the joint, and I have to wear a popsicle stick on it.

So today I got a solar-powered oven. I am so stoked. I can't wait to use it!

My plan is to take whole white wheat berries and grind them in my hand-grinder mill. Then, I will use the flour to bake bread in my solar oven. Oh man. Excited.

Also... taking it on my camping trip in a week in a half. It's only ~3.5 lbs. Edit: 7 lbs.