Real Life and What's Happening...

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tenbones said:
I'm having my normal get-together for Thanksgiving. Family+friends+good times.


It does! My dad died a few months ago. I gotta play my last move before all the treasure is taken!
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I'm sorry to hear that. My dad died quite recently as well, just a couple of years or so ago.
 
tenbones said:
Edit: HEY! enough of that sad-face stuff. This is a *celebration*. And it will be two-weeks of it!
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MajorInsistentGnu-size_restricted.gif


It's not easy, but you're doing it in style. Salut!
 
My parents divided up everything a decade or two ago before anyone was married so it was just between us kids. We said what we wanted and either took it then or not depending on what it was. As grandkids have come along that's been adjusted but it's always been a very open thing. So much so one of my neices comes over every holiday and sits in "her" chair and announces it's hers. It's a running gag now. My Mom threatens to reappolster it in horrible patterns.
 
tenbones said:
My condolences. It's a complex thing to process.
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My mother's death was so complex to process I'm still not done. She died in 1998 and I still have very ambivalent feelings about it, because she did some stuff that, in hindsight, hasn't been exactly beneficial to the way we developed. There was never any outright abuse or anything like that. It was more subtle, and the intent probably wasn't bad either, but I still feel like she should have been more aware of what she was doing, since she was a teacher in special needs education. So yeah, complex and impossible to explain to most family members without upsetting them.

My father is well in his 70s. He's... a bit peculiar to interact with at times, but he means well. Might be Asperger's, but was never diagnosed AFAIK. I'm not sure how I'll handle it when it's his time, but he's still going strong.

Parents, can't live with 'm, can't live without 'm.
 
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E-Rocker said:
By doing a mixed walk-run-but-mostly-run, and taking two ten-minute breaks, I was able to hit half-marathon distance yesterday! First time since 2017. That brings my lifetime total to four unofficial half-marathons and one official one.
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Congratulations! It's a great feeling to hit that goal.
 
3rik said:
My mother's death was so complex to process I'm still not done. She died in 1998 and I still have very ambivalent feelings about it, because she did some stuff that, in hindsight, hasn't been exactly beneficial to the way we developed. There was never any outright abuse or anything like that. It was more subtle, and the intent probably wasn't bad either, but I still feel like she should have been more aware of what she was doing, since she was a teacher in special needs education. So yeah, complex and impossible to explain to most family members without upsetting them.

My father is well in his 70s. He's... a bit peculiar to interact with at times, but he means well. Might be Asperger's, but was never diagnosed AFAIK. I'm not sure how I'll handle it when it's his time, but he's still going strong.

Parents, can't live with 'm, can't live without 'm.
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Yeah, my response was short because I don't really know how people will react. Thus it's defacto complex. Even between my siblings we handled it very differently. My brother was a soldier, my sister a nurse, I was a paramedic - all three of us are very intimate with death. We all also have very intensely different spiritual lives as well. And that's why I'm hesitant to talk about it in detail unsolicited because my own personal views of such things might upset people that haven't given it as much thought as I have been forced to (whether by circumstance or proclivity). Wrestling with that emotional loss is *hard* for most people who generally don't do much emotional wrestling at all.

So what might sound like a casual thought, can often run contrary to the emotional tenor of the reader/listener.

Heh - all of this occurs before the realities of the complexities of the relationship too. There's yet another layer.

The fact you even *recognize* the malformities in your development caused by your parental relationship (we all have them - both good and bad) puts you light-years ahead of most people that have no ability/desire to even see for themselves. Of course, the issue becomes "what do you do about it"?

I, personally, resolved those issues and forgave my parents of their shortcomings with us a long time ago. Because the realization of those shortcomings in us we inherited becomes our responsibility regardless of the past. I mean, I in the end it's that realization that begins the starting point of your own real journey right? I think a lot of people don't even start that, or worse, turn those recognized misgivings into something bad that forever taints their psyche. My sister is like that - she blames a lot of her problems on my mother/father and I'm like "So... we're old people now. When do you start taking responsibility for yourself exactly?" But she simply doesn't want to let it go...

And so it goes. Or rather: Thus Complexity. :smile:
 
tenbones said:
Actually I'm playing my last move in the great chess-game of life with my father.
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Sorry to hear that. Lost my old man at 16, and much as I miss him (and his fantastic, no-nonsense adit was probably easier for me this way.

tenbones said:
Sandman (it's *wonderful*).
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I have only read bits and pieces of Sandman. One of these days I’ll man up and shell out the crazy moolah for the omnibus.

tenbones said:
Rifts: Worldbook 12 - Lonestar
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Lone Star is so, so good. If only all Rifts books were that good. Great NPCs, solid world info.
 
The Butcher said:
Sorry to hear that. Lost my old man at 16, and much as I miss him (and his fantastic, no-nonsense adit was probably easier for me this way.
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/nods


The Butcher said:
I have only read bits and pieces of Sandman. One of these days I’ll man up and shell out the crazy moolah for the omnibus.
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SO! I own the original comics (bagged and sealed away). I own the first run of graphic novels. But those OMNIBUSES are *gorgeous*. They're oversized, hardbound and glorious. I plan on picking them up too - they've been re-colored with bigger text. Worth it.

THAT SAID... the Audible Sandman IS *glorious*. It's like a 1930's radio play with big name actors, sound effects, music and everything. It is *magnificent*. HIGHLY recommend anyone that is remotely interested in Sandman checking it out. James MacAvoy voices Sandman. Plus a lot of other stars.

The Butcher said:
Lone Star is so, so good. If only all Rifts books were that good. Great NPCs, solid world info.
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Super-looking forward to it. I'm enjoying the hell out of Arzno.

I should make this it's own thread - but Savage Rifts is an amazing take on Rifts. The fact is they couldn't possibly pack anymore of this material into the books they already have. so having the original Palladium material *really* helps flesh out details if you want to make it "authentic". Savage Rifts does a great job with the mechanics and everything, but those little details, and NPC's really really ramps up the possibilities you can reach for in SW Edition. I'm really stoked and looking forward to running this.
 
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So, I've found a Z440 in a useful configuration on Ebay and I'm thinking of buying it before Brexit completely turns shipping into a 3-ring circus. £550 with 32GB of RAM, a mid-range Quadro (M4000, which supports DX12), 512GB of flash storage and a 3TB spinny. The card might be fast enough that I don't need to upgrade it - according to the interwebs it's about as fast as a GTX960. That's quite attractive as the machine might be big enough with another 32 or 64GB of RAM added - about £100-200 extra. It might also need a memory cooler if I install more RAM, but they can be gotten off the secondary market.

I shall now attempt to psych myself into buying it - or allow common sense to prevail. Not sure which yet.

Update: I decided to buy it. The project has a nominal budget of £1,000 and with a bit of luck this will come in a bit under that. I'm quietly hoping the video card will be adequate as well. It will be fine for KSP and might be OK for CP2077. The other titles on my hit list to try are Elite Dangerous or No Man's Sky. I can't do shooters these days as they give me terrible motion sickness - I even had to give up on The Stanley Parable because of that, and I'm a bit worried that CP2077 would have the same effect. Oh, well. First world problems.
 
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Yesterday was my fourth coronavirus test. The nurse went all-out this time. I think she stabbed me in the brain with that sample stick, my sinuses ached for hours. I stayed him from work and busied myself with Minecraft while waiting for the results - negative again. I get another half day off because the hospital's new policy is to stay home until 24 hours after you get your results.
 
spittingimage said:
Yesterday was my fourth coronavirus test. The nurse went all-out this time. I think she stabbed me in the brain with that sample stick, my sinuses ached for hours. I stayed him from work and busied myself with Minecraft while waiting for the results - negative again. I get another half day off because the hospital's new policy is to stay home until 24 hours after you get your results.
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Fuck, me too. My fourth test and the nurse left me literally bleeding from the nose — I actually pushed her away and she filed a complaint (!) which I’ll have to deal with when I get back (kid’s running a fever and I’m off work until the results come in).
 
I've been notified that my team is not scheduled to even be *evaluated* to come back to the office until May 1st 2021.

Realistically - I don't think they're ever going to have us come back. I'm already looking at buying property elsewhere in the state to build my compound since I may not have to live in the city going forward.
 
Received confirmation this afternoon that I will be working from home exclusively for my main service provider until the end of April at the very least. This is fantastic news as it provides a degree of certainty, safety and no need for 1-4 hours on the road each day. Still awaiting what would be the best news of all; a confirmation that online solutions will be adopted permanently following any resolution, partial or otherwise, of the pandemic. This has been alluded to but no-one is willing to confirm it as a fact; I still have that lingering suspicion that out there in decision making land are people who still wish for returning to the way we've always done things purely because that how we've always done things. These people need to be put out to pasture.
 
So, I've decided to take the plunge and start frigging with 3D modelling software. Sketchup is probably easier to use but, in spite of my imaginary component, I've decided to be a real man and attempt to tackle Blender. I still like quiche, however.

Blender runs OK on my T430 with its built in graphics, although how well it deals with a model of any complexity on that platform remains to be seen. It seems to handle Windows a lot better than older versions did.
 
Right before the pandemic, they kicked me out of the office for not coming in enough, and a lack of desk space. At the time, I hated it because I liked to come in sometimes just for a change of scenery, and hate using temp cubes. Now, I realize that it was a blessing in disguise as all of this talk about going back means squat to me.
 
Kilted Rob said:
I'm on day 13 of quarantine, symptom free, have not tested positive, and parents are complaining about the requirements for their kid to go back into the school. I'll leave it at that.
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You mean they want their kids back in school or don't want them back?
 
3rik said:
My mother's death was so complex to process I'm still not done. She died in 1998 and I still have very ambivalent feelings about it, because she did some stuff that, in hindsight, hasn't been exactly beneficial to the way we developed. There was never any outright abuse or anything like that. It was more subtle, and the intent probably wasn't bad either, but I still feel like she should have been more aware of what she was doing, since she was a teacher in special needs education. So yeah, complex and impossible to explain to most family members without upsetting them.

My father is well in his 70s. He's... a bit peculiar to interact with at times, but he means well. Might be Asperger's, but was never diagnosed AFAIK. I'm not sure how I'll handle it when it's his time, but he's still going strong.

Parents, can't live with 'm, can't live without 'm.
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In his poetic work, The Birth Caul, Alan Moore said something along the lines of (paraphrasing here):

"Our parents do not follow a traditional perspective. It is only upon moving away from them that their true scale becomes apparent."
 
I got a call from my father's nursing home this morning to say that he had been refusing food and medication and his condition was declining rapidly. I rushed over there and discovered that he was so dehydrated they'd put him on an IV line. He was too weak to speak or move, but he slowly started to improve as the saline bag emptied.

When he could talk again, his first words to me were "My TV doesn't work."

I JUST ABOUT PULLED THE FUCKING PLUG ON HIM MYSELF.
 
The Butcher said:
Wait, what? Surely you don’t mean that literally.
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I'm sure he doesn't. Caring for a sick or old family member isn't always a solemn affair, and with luck you will have moments of levity and even joy.

My father in law is mostly paralyzed due to ALS. He uses a motorized wheelchair that he controls with his head and one hand, which are the only parts of his body he still has appreciable control over (and the hand is going). I made him a couple of Long Island Iced Teas yesterday, and joked about having to take his keys away.
 
Gringnr said:
I'm sure he doesn't. Caring for a sick or old family member isn't always a solemn affair, and with luck you will have moments of levity and even joy.

My father in law is mostly paralyzed due to ALS. He uses a motorized wheelchair that he controls with his head and one hand, which are the only parts of his body he still has appreciable control over (and the hand is going). I made him a couple of Long Island Iced Teas yesterday, and joked about having to take his keys away.
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spittingimage said:
He also made me recharge his phone and ebook reader before lapsing back into mumbles.
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Oh, OK. Sorry. In retrospect it’s obvious.
 
Well as I posted last in this thread. One of the managers at my work has the covid. At least one other person as well. I've been back at work, paychecks being important and all. So I've taken a lot more steps to not bring it home. Well I may have anyways. My wife has not been feeling great, for the last day or two. Well she is really not good today. She went in. Shes displaying covid symptoms. We are waiting on results of the test. Which unfortunately will take several days. So we are straight quarantined at home, till we find out the results. Then depending maybe longer. I feel fine as of the moment. Hopefully it stays that way. Hopefully my wife starts feeling better. I worry about stuff enough without something like this.
 
Ronin said:
Well as I posted last in this thread. One of the managers at my work has the covid. At least one other person as well. I've been back at work, paychecks being important and all. So I've taken a lot more steps to not bring it home. Well I may have anyways. My wife has not been feeling great, for the last day or two. Well she is really not good today. She went in. Shes displaying covid symptoms. We are waiting on results of the test. Which unfortunately will take several days. So we are straight quarantined at home, till we find out the results. Then depending maybe longer. I feel fine as of the moment. Hopefully it stays that way. Hopefully my wife starts feeling better. I worry about stuff enough without something like this.
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Just said a prayer that she recovers fast. That it’s not Covid and that you receive peace of mind.
 
Gringnr said:
There's a lot of shit that sucks about Covid, not the least of which is second guessing every cough, allergy attack, etc.
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I visited Wednesday night with a very good friend who is a doctor and we talked about the wide range of symptoms being experienced by Covid patients. He says that lack of taste and smell are far away the most common so if you get that you should get tested. All those other symptoms could literally be anything from allergies to strep to the flu or even a cold.
 
Solo Thanksgiving wasn't too bad. Made myself a nice steak dinner. Ain't cooking a turkey for one person. Sorted counters from Ogre Designer's Edition, Ogre Reinforcements, and Ogre Battlefields. Had football on in the background, but didn't really watch it, as sorting counters took more brainpower than expected. Took a walk around the park. Had a nice FaceTime call with my parents and brother.

Back @ work today after a week's vacation.
 
Well, my father passed away yesterday. I admit that even knowing his health was sinking fast, I didn't expect this to happen.

I'm mostly okay with it. He had a sharp mind in a degrading body that was losing its capability month by month. He chose the time and went out on his own terms. My sister and I both got to spend time with him in the last few days.

I haven't told my wife yet, because she's at a boardgaming convention in another city this weekend and 2020 has spoiled so many of her plans that I'm determined for her to have this.
 
spittingimage said:
Well, my father passed away yesterday. I admit that even knowing his health was sinking fast, I didn't expect this to happen.

I'm mostly okay with it. He had a sharp mind in a degrading body that was losing its capability month by month. He chose the time and went out on his own terms. My sister and I both got to spend time with him in the last few days.

I haven't told my wife yet, because she's at a boardgaming convention in another city this weekend and 2020 has spoiled so many of her plans that I'm determined for her to have this.
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I know that's coming for me as my dad is 82 but I have no idea how I will handle it. My sympathies and it's very thoughtful of you to let your wife have a little up time.
 
My sympathies. It's never an easy thing, no matter how prepared you are for it.
 
spittingimage said:
Well, my father passed away yesterday. I admit that even knowing his health was sinking fast, I didn't expect this to happen.

I'm mostly okay with it. He had a sharp mind in a degrading body that was losing its capability month by month. He chose the time and went out on his own terms. My sister and I both got to spend time with him in the last few days.

I haven't told my wife yet, because she's at a boardgaming convention in another city this weekend and 2020 has spoiled so many of her plans that I'm determined for her to have this.
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My sympathies to you. It's hard, and I lost mine here not long ago as these boards know.

you are a very good man for sticking up for your wife.
 
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