September Randoms

[Vespasia]

We leave for Belgium tonight. On Friday, we need to catch a train to Amsterdam in preparation for our bike cruise on Saturday. Of course the Netherlands has a transit strike planned for Friday. I don't think it will impact us since we're on an international train but I wouldn't be surprised if it does. If we get stranded in Brussels it will be fitting since that also happened on our honeymoon 10 years ago!

[mrsukyankee]

Vespasia, crossing fingers for you!

[pixy0stix]

Sept 6, 2022 8:28:34 GMT -5 Vespasia said:

We leave for Belgium tonight. On Friday, we need to catch a train to Amsterdam in preparation for our bike cruise on Saturday. Of course the Netherlands has a transit strike planned for Friday. I don't think it will impact us since we're on an international train but I wouldn't be surprised if it does. If we get stranded in Brussels it will be fitting since that also happened on our honeymoon 10 years ago!

Is your cruise effected by the droughts? I briefly skimmed an article recently that European river cruises were being impacted by low water, to the point that the cruises turn into bus rides.

[wildrice]

Oh yikes! I hope it all works out for you. And I hope your trip is amazing - can't wait to see pictures!

[Vespasia]

pixy0stix, we haven't heard anything from the company so I am hoping that it is not. I do know that they have alternative routes in times of low water so we should be okay.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Our AC died. And it's not fixable.

So today we learn how much money we get to spend on a new one.

We'll probably replace the furnace at the same time since it's also pretty old but really not looking forward to spending $10k+ on this venture.

[wawa]

Vespasia, I cannot wait to hear about this trip! I hope all unexpected hiccups become adventures and not headaches.

It rained this morning and my feet are still soaked at midday. I really need some rainy day commuter shoes. any suggestions? I was looking at rainboots, and then I was looking at vessi's, and then I went back to rainboots....I don't know what I actually want.

[audette]

I have to make the case to a non-profit board tomorrow that I should have primary access to one of our three paid zoom accounts. We all have access to Google Meet, as part of our other services, but my office is the one that is most likely to have virtual meetings that include folks outside our organization. From everything I've read, that's a pain with Google Meet, and not possible on mobile devices with Google Meet. My office may need to allow a non-org member to control the screen during meetings, too, and I'm not sure that's possible to do in Google Meet when said non-org person also has no google account of their own.

I've had to beg and borrow one of the paid accounts several times since our last board meeting. I think it might be time to discuss why my office isn't the account holder...

[jamaicam]

We are back home after our 6 week vacation. It was great to see everyone and have a real break. However, our house was being worked on while we were away (new roof, new kitchen and covering the outside wash area so we can also use it for storage); and as usual, everythign takes longer than it should. So we have come home and have to be at my mums while it is being finished off - I am tried of living out of a suitcase!

[penguingrrl]

We’re starting major work on our house this week and I’m nervous. My house is 96 years old, so I know there will be surprises.

But we can’t wait. Our radiator heat system, which is original to the house, is rotting from the inside out, so we’re adding ductwork and converting to natural gas forced air heat and adding central air (which I’m excited about but won’t actually use until next year at this point).

We’re also properly doing a room that was a shoddily done garage conversion (we think an elderly owner was in the hospital and it was done quickly by family before they came home). They even just covered the garage doors in plaster, which we’ll be replacing with French doors. And if there’s money left splitting our upstairs bathroom into two with one opening into our bedroom, creating an owner’s suite.

These were all projects we knew were necessary when we bought, so im excited but so nervous.

[pixy0stix]

Northern CO front range is experiencing really bad air quality due to ozone. That, plus seasonal allergens, and my respiratory system is a mess today.

[rubytue]

Somewhat related to climate change, but not related enough to be in the thread. And also, somewhat random to admit. But… at the risk of outing myself as completely US-centric in all my metal models, I was in a rabbit hole the other day and found maps comparing the US to Europe by latitude. I feel very dumb, but I never realize things like: Paris is around the Canadian boarder. Berlin is well up in Canada. DC is Sicily. And why TF is so much of the US in all the places that have been so brutally hot for generations.
vividmaps.com/comparing-latitude-of-europe-and-america/

[winecat]

I survived my bike riding class. We can take a 2nd one for free so I'm doing that at the beginning of October. They started us off without pedals and had us do 'step, step, glide.' They added pedlas once you could glide for 10 seconds.

[wawa]

Sept 6, 2022 11:56:24 GMT -5 audette said:

I have to make the case to a non-profit board tomorrow that I should have primary access to one of our three paid zoom accounts. We all have access to Google Meet, as part of our other services, but my office is the one that is most likely to have virtual meetings that include folks outside our organization. From everything I've read, that's a pain with Google Meet, and not possible on mobile devices with Google Meet. My office may need to allow a non-org member to control the screen during meetings, too, and I'm not sure that's possible to do in Google Meet when said non-org person also has no google account of their own.

I've had to beg and borrow one of the paid accounts several times since our last board meeting. I think it might be time to discuss why my office isn't the account holder...

I feel like this is one of those things that is either going to be a total non-issue (oh, good point audette.  let's make that change) or have people dig their heels in and fight for absolutely zero reason (youll take this zoom account out of my dead hands!!!!!)  No middle ground.

[erbear]

I have a gross period question that is definitely TMI but I tend to be an alarmist so I wanted to gauge others before I call my doctor.

Any idea what would cause a ridiculously heavy period right now? I’m generally a 2 days of tampons, then just a liner cycle. I’m on day 6 and bleeding heavily still, including clots. Does this warrant a call to an OB-GYN?

[rubytue]

Sept 6, 2022 18:51:03 GMT -5 erbear said:

I have a gross period question that is definitely TMI but I tend to be an alarmist so I wanted to gauge others before I call my doctor.

Any idea what would cause a ridiculously heavy period right now? I’m generally a 2 days of tampons, then just a liner cycle. I’m on day 6 and bleeding heavily still, including clots. Does this warrant a call to an OB-GYN?

Lots of things. Fibroid. Perimenopause. But unusual periods are worthy of getting checked out. 

[SusanBAnthony]

Sept 6, 2022 19:30:33 GMT -5 rubytue said:

Sept 6, 2022 18:51:03 GMT -5 erbear said:

I have a gross period question that is definitely TMI but I tend to be an alarmist so I wanted to gauge others before I call my doctor.

Any idea what would cause a ridiculously heavy period right now? I’m generally a 2 days of tampons, then just a liner cycle. I’m on day 6 and bleeding heavily still, including clots. Does this warrant a call to an OB-GYN?

Lots of things. Fibroid. Perimenopause. But unusual periods are worthy of getting checked out. 

I had an ovarian cyst burst once and my next period was a bloodbath. It was quite the delightful surprise, would have been nice of the doctor to warn me to expect that. The cyst was so painful that I can't imagine not knowing if you had one, though.

[winecat]

Sept 6, 2022 18:51:03 GMT -5 erbear said:

I have a gross period question that is definitely TMI but I tend to be an alarmist so I wanted to gauge others before I call my doctor.

Any idea what would cause a ridiculously heavy period right now? I’m generally a 2 days of tampons, then just a liner cycle. I’m on day 6 and bleeding heavily still, including clots. Does this warrant a call to an OB-GYN?

In addition to tracking how it's different from your normal, keep track of the number of tampons/pads that you're using, and how often you have to change.  Saying "heavy" seems to be too subjective, especially if you're within a normal period length. 

[winecat]

I got unfriended by someone from my local board because she and her friends got all pearl clutchy about a "homeless shelter" being developed behind where they live. It isn't a "homeless shelter." It's 200 units of affordable housing and 20 units designed to help people experiencing homelessness. One of the biggest complainers is a huge "Jesus" person. I guess she didn't like when I pointed out that it was hypocritical and solving these big societal issues aren't going to be comfortable.

[wawa]

I'm suddenly having like, holyshitwtfbbq moments about the fact that I'm turning 40. Like....THIS IS GONNA BE 40? I hit all the major adulty milestones ages ago (have had a steady career since I graduated, hit management at work a while ago, @ stuff, bought a house over a decade ago, etc etc) yet I keep waiting for the moment where I feel like a real actual adulty adult.



Does anybody ever actually feel like an actual grownup? Like, do you just wander around wondering why it's always your turn to make dinner your whole life and then bam, you break a hip and die? 

eta: of note - it's nowhere near my birthday.  We were just talking about planning a getaway trip of sort to celebrate since H and I are the same age and our birthdays are two weeks apart, so I typed the phrase "for our 40th birthdays" like 6 times today so I'm dwelling.

oh!  along those lines...

Vespasia and my other travel pros - if you were going to take a march long weekend somewhere, starting from the midAtlantic and not trying to break the bank - where would you go?  I can't even decide if I want to be in a bathing suit or hiking shoes or dancing shoes for this one.

[mrsukyankee]

wawa, normal. So, very, very normal.

[winecat]

wawa- I definitely don't feel like an adult. I bought a house young and then got married/divorced quickly and skipped all other adulting norms. I still feel like a college student, though I can no longer pull an all nighter and do a keg stand. I don't even have to figure out dinner. Mainly I putter along like a semi-feral cat.

Speaking of semi-feral cats, I'm going to have to shut down one of the crazy cat ladies who is part of the group who cares for a few feral cat colonies that I also help with. She took in one of the cats we cared for because after ALL these years, the cat was like "oh hai, I'm actually tame." She picked up a new one on Saturday and keeps saying that she doesn't think he's feral but she's given no reason why. She texted this morning that she wants 2 of the other cats. Dude- you cannot have 4 more semi-feral cats in your house! I don't know how many cats she had before. She's going to throw a fit and I really do not want to deal with her but hoarding these cats isn't okay.

[pixy0stix]

I had a real down day when I turned 45 last month. I do catch myself having moments of thinking "young people" (aka those in their late 20s) really don't know anything. How did I even get here? LOL!

[winecat]

Sept 8, 2022 10:36:48 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

I had a real down day when I turned 45 last month. I do catch myself having moments of thinking "young people" (aka those in their late 20s) really don't know anything. How did I even get here? LOL!

The dental school students have to present their patients with name, age, issue. I was sitting in the chair waiting and heard the student say “45 year old female” and thought it was weird that they were talking about another patient near me. Then I had the horrifying realization that they were talking about me. lol. Now I ignore it.

[winecat]

Feel free to join me on the plucking thread aka Thursday randoms on ML.

[wildrice]

wawa how about Costa Rica and you can do beaches AND hiking/outdoorsy stuff? I haven't flown there from here but I did fly from Chicago and the flight wasn't too bad, I assume it would be a similar length from here?

And yes I wonder about being an adult all the time. I am certainly not one. I have started to come to the realization that adulthood is all a scam. What really blows my mind is when I remember that when my parents were my age, I was 17 and I DEFINITELY thought they had their shit together a lot more than I do. I mean I do function as an adult- but I also take a lot of naps and let household tasks slide and phone it in on meals, etc, way more than I ever remember them doing. Not sure if that's generational or if I'm in some sort of arrested development or what, but this is not how I expected I'd be at this age.

[Vespasia]

To update my OP, our train was in fact cancelled. Thankfully they emailed me last night so I was able to reserve bus seats. Not nearly as fun as first class on a train but oh well. At least we won't miss our dinner reservation. Or our cruise.

[rubytue]

On the old/adult thing. My uncle died in July and I’m being interred at West Point next month. Most of the family lives in NC, and couldn’t travel to my fathers funeral in TN 3 hours away (money, car issues, etc). So, at the second most northern member of the clan, I am attending the funeral as the family representative. I think this will be the most adult thing I’ve ever done.

edit - with everyone else (grandparents, 4 more uncles and aunts, all my cousins living in the south (mostly in the same town) - this uncle and his family was not that close to the rest of the family. Because he went to West Point and stayed in the north. So, I’m not even going because we were close. Just because someone from the J-name family should be there, and because it’s a reason to take a long weekend in the Catskills. 

[neverfstop]

Is Instagram being loud for anybody else? You used to be able to watch reels or videos or scroll by them without it playing the sounds (if you ringer was on silent). Now, it feels like every time I scroll through instagram I get loud music blaring. was this some crappy update?

[rubytue]

Today, the government worker notices the calendar and thinks “wow, 9 years til retirement eligibility.” And then realizes she has become a cliché. (21 year time in service tomorrow)

edit: apparently I fat fingered a tag in here that was unintentional.