[Slow Ben]

Raymond Luxury Yacht, on 24 December 2024 - 11:26 PM, said:

lol I forgot to mention the shooting headaches I’ve been getting every day in one specific spot on the back of my head. Going to the doctor for that one after Christmas for sure. I’m sure it’s fine.

Damn son, that’s a lot.

Hope 2025 brings better things.

[Slow Ben]

champ, on 30 December 2024 - 04:42 PM, said:

Got a phone call from my Dad on Christmas Eve around 9:30pm... drunk as usual... basically straight up told me he's dying and diagnosed as terminal with not long left to live...


What festive news and what a time to break something like that to your son... especially when he has known about this for 5 years now but didn't tell anyone. Safe to say it was an awesome Christmas...


It would just be nice for a bit of peace in my life for a change ya know... like fuck me...

Holy crap, that’s a shit move.

Sorry Champ.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Got woken up just after midnight on New Year's Day not by the fireworks (I think) but by gas trapped in my intestines again. Fever, nausea. So I spent the next three hours alternately

Spoiler

vomiting and having explosive diarrhea

before my stomach and my bowels settled down. Slept an hour later than usual to compensate. Feeling largely better now, taking it easy on my stomach, still a sort of unpleasant sensation and pressure in particular parts of my bowels.

Now for the detective work. Of course one option would be to just throw away my supplies of everything I ate over the last few days, but that seems excessive.

Suspect one: the roasted cashews I got on Monday. Some roasted cashews were recalled this year for listeria contamination. I had about a quarter cup of them on Monday, no issue. But listeria symptoms sometimes only show up after three days. I ate a lot of cashews on New Year's Eve (bit of holiday gorging).

Suspect two: new probiotic apple cider vinegar I started using on Tuesday. Whole Foods store brand. I'd been using small amounts of the old apple cider vinegar---the one I think may have caused my last gastrointestinal ordeal when I drank too much of it---without issue. The newly opened Whole Foods bottle was very full and I accidentally poured more than I intended to, but it didn't seem like all that much---maybe two tablespoons? From now on I'm going to actually measure how much apple cider vinegar I use.

Suspect 3: my hands. Could be norovirus, adenovirus, etc. Apparently it's possible to recover from a norovirus infection and then get infected with a different strain of norovirus within a week. Norovirus can't stay dormant for long periods of time, but return of symptoms within a month could actually be from the same initial infection.

Suspect 4: "By our powers combined"... I could have gotten constipation and gas from the roasted cashews and the raw apple cider vinegar. Cashews are high-FODMAP (basically fermentable carbohydrates that can be difficult to digest) and can consequently cause digestive issues. I've eaten lots of cashew nut butter in the past without any issues---but apparently cashew butter is somehow lower FODMAP. But pistachios are also high-FODMAP, and I've eaten similar quantities of pistachios without issue. Then again maybe cashews are different. Or perhaps it was the combination of too many cashews with a little too much apple cider vinegar. In total I ate almost half of a 2.75 pound bag (1247.38 grams).

Haven't decided yet whether to throw out the cashews and the new vinegar. But I'm certainly going to hold off on having any more for a while. If I do try them again, I'll try to time it so that if I have symptoms they'll be on a relatively convenient day. (Like today, actually....)

Incidentally: some assholes were still setting off fireworks at 12:55 AM. Almost enough to make me hope those were actually gunshots, and they were slaughtering each other... okay, no, not really.



[Edit: to be more precise, I felt feverish. I didn't actually check my temperature. If I did have a fever that would imply more than just constipation and gas. But since the apple cider vinegar contains bacteria, my body also could have been responding to an excess of them.]

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 01 January 2025 - 01:32 PM

[amphibian]

What are you allergic to?

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

amphibian, on 01 January 2025 - 04:37 PM, said:

What are you allergic to?

I've never had any food allergies. And my aim for much of my life was to gorge on everything. Traveling the world to eat (among other things... but largely to eat). Didn't eat anything in the last month that I haven't had before. Seems unlikely that I'd suddenly develop any food allergies now. Too much apple cider vinegar might have caused my previous episode, but I was having more from the same bottle (as the previous episode---in more reasonable quantities) on a daily basis since then without issue (though IDK if the new bottle---which is also a different brand---might contain a different set of varieties of bacteria).

This post has been edited by Azath Vitr (D'ivers: 01 January 2025 - 04:46 PM

[Mezla PigDog]

I have had a living Christmas tree for the last 6 years. Not the same tree. The first one died the first summer because I left it in full sun and forgot to water it. But the second has been going strong for 5 years now. It looks pretty shite - it hasn't grown evenly, has about 3 different greens on it and has a big bare patch of trunk near the top. Once it is decorated it passes for a Christmas tree and it makes me feel good to not be chopping down trees or buying plastic. But we have to cover it with a shed load of tinsel cover up the dodgy parts and to make it look alright.

But.

You can only bring a living tree into a warm house for so long before it starts to do things it shouldn't be doing in winter or in your living room. I estimate two weeks indoors maximum. This year my kid persuaded me to bring it indoors to decorate a week earlier than I wanted to so there were consequences. The first sign was on Christmas Eve when we spotted some of the gifts under the tree were covered in dripping sap. The second sign was coming home yesterday from a few days away to find about 50 dead aphids amassed on the floor around the base of the tree. I cleaned them up, accidentally spreading the new sap puddles around the house, only to find about 50 or so more corpses under the tree this morning. So I got to taking the decorations off, spreading sap and dead aphids everywhere and found myself at 9am on new years day WASHING tinsel! You can't take the carbon friendly Christmas tree route and then bin all of the plastic decorations when smeared with sticky tree sap. No, you have to try to do the right thing and wash them for reuse. I had to sponge down the lights as well. And some baubles are drying out on the radiator.

My clothes dryer is festively draped in tinsel now. It looks feasibly recoverable for next year. Most of the sap is cleaned up. I find the odd sticky patch now and then.

Why is trying to do a good thing so often a pile of bollocks?

Rest in peace many hundreds of aphids.

[QuickTidal]

Was asked to come into work on a holiday day today, and every single piece of tech and machine here has gone for a shit while we are closed for the holidays, and I'd say half my day has been trouble shooting them into working order so I can use them...it's been one thing after another for 8 hours...my back is aching, and I have to do it all again tomorrow. And since the plant is technically open, it's not overtime. SIGH.

[worry]

My sister got me some freeze dried sour candies for Xmas and I finally had a bunch last night, and those weren't just freeze dried sour candies. They had hella extra citric acid added in post by a total sadist. And I let them all melt in my mouth cuz they're the consistency of airy sugar cubes. Now my whole mouth feels like Freddy Krueger's face looks.

[QuickTidal]

worry, on 07 January 2025 - 05:49 AM, said:

My sister got me some freeze dried sour candies for Xmas and I finally had a bunch last night, and those weren't just freeze dried sour candies. They had hella extra citric acid added in post by a total sadist. And I let them all melt in my mouth cuz they're the consistency of airy sugar cubes. Now my whole mouth feels like Freddy Krueger's face looks.

Like when you eat too many salt & Vinegar chips....I hate that.

[Tsundoku]

QuickTidal, on 07 January 2025 - 12:47 PM, said:

worry, on 07 January 2025 - 05:49 AM, said:

My sister got me some freeze dried sour candies for Xmas and I finally had a bunch last night, and those weren't just freeze dried sour candies. They had hella extra citric acid added in post by a total sadist. And I let them all melt in my mouth cuz they're the consistency of airy sugar cubes. Now my whole mouth feels like Freddy Krueger's face looks.

Like when you eat too many salt & Vinegar chips....I hate that.

Does not compute ...

[worry]

Pretty much. But I've had my experiences with salt & vinegar chips, sour candy, burning the roof of my mouth with hot pizza, etc. and this was the worst by a mile. I am still in pain.


You know what? This same sister also got me a pizza cutter for Xmas. Not a spinner, but this small one-hander blade that you rock along the pizza.

Spoiler

Well I used that for the first time the other day on a cheapo frozen pizza, and as I was cutting it, one slice literally flew off the plate onto my counter, and due to the laws of physics, my fist holding the cutter went straight down into the opposite slice, so I basically punched directly down with force into molten cheese and sauce.

Either my sister is trying to kill me or I am a Grade A dumbass. I'll let you all decide.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

QuickTidal, on 07 January 2025 - 12:47 PM, said:

worry, on 07 January 2025 - 05:49 AM, said:

My sister got me some freeze dried sour candies for Xmas and I finally had a bunch last night, and those weren't just freeze dried sour candies. They had hella extra citric acid added in post by a total sadist. And I let them all melt in my mouth cuz they're the consistency of airy sugar cubes. Now my whole mouth feels like Freddy Krueger's face looks.

Like when you eat too many salt & Vinegar chips....I hate that.

Salt and vinegar chips are much better without the chips.

[Tsundoku]

worry, on 07 January 2025 - 01:45 PM, said:

Pretty much. But I've had my experiences with salt & vinegar chips, sour candy, burning the roof of my mouth with hot pizza, etc. and this was the worst by a mile. I am still in pain.


You know what? This same sister also got me a pizza cutter for Xmas. Not a spinner, but this small one-hander blade that you rock along the pizza.

Spoiler

Well I used that for the first time the other day on a cheapo frozen pizza, and as I was cutting it, one slice literally flew off the plate onto my counter, and due to the laws of physics, my fist holding the cutter went straight down into the opposite slice, so I basically punched directly down with force into molten cheese and sauce.

Either my sister is trying to kill me or I am a Grade A dumbass. I'll let you all decide.

Clearly it's both.

[Abyss]

worry, on 07 January 2025 - 01:45 PM, said:

...
Either my sister is trying to kill me or I am a Grade A dumbass. I'll let you all decide.

littlegirlsayswhynotboth?.gif

[Tsundoku]

Abyss, on 07 January 2025 - 02:43 PM, said:

worry, on 07 January 2025 - 01:45 PM, said:

...
Either my sister is trying to kill me or I am a Grade A dumbass. I'll let you all decide.

littlegirlsayswhynotboth?.gif

I think you meant to say "Por que no los dos?"

[Tsundoku]

Azath Vitr (D, on 07 January 2025 - 02:07 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 07 January 2025 - 12:47 PM, said:

worry, on 07 January 2025 - 05:49 AM, said:

My sister got me some freeze dried sour candies for Xmas and I finally had a bunch last night, and those weren't just freeze dried sour candies. They had hella extra citric acid added in post by a total sadist. And I let them all melt in my mouth cuz they're the consistency of airy sugar cubes. Now my whole mouth feels like Freddy Krueger's face looks.

Like when you eat too many salt & Vinegar chips....I hate that.

Salt and vinegar chips are much better without the chips.

This is why I think you are an AI - obviously no actual human could say such a thing.

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

Tsundoku, on 07 January 2025 - 03:06 PM, said:

Azath Vitr (D, on 07 January 2025 - 02:07 PM, said:

QuickTidal, on 07 January 2025 - 12:47 PM, said:

worry, on 07 January 2025 - 05:49 AM, said:

My sister got me some freeze dried sour candies for Xmas and I finally had a bunch last night, and those weren't just freeze dried sour candies. They had hella extra citric acid added in post by a total sadist. And I let them all melt in my mouth cuz they're the consistency of airy sugar cubes. Now my whole mouth feels like Freddy Krueger's face looks.

Like when you eat too many salt & Vinegar chips....I hate that.

Salt and vinegar chips are much better without the chips.

This is why I think you are an AI - obviously no actual human could say such a thing.

Clearly my grandparents were preparing me to be an ideal candidate for AIscension.

(... actually they probably weren't---maybe just a little)

But I'm not going to let Elon Musk's minions or their ilk set it up...

[QuickTidal]

Uh, anyone want to hazard a guess why California is currently battling wildfires and possible evacuations in JANUARY....literally the farthest month from wildfire season in California?

Fuck me this timeline just keeps cooking us doesn't it?

[Azath Vitr (D'ivers]

QuickTidal, on 08 January 2025 - 02:57 PM, said:

Uh, anyone want to hazard a guess why California is currently battling wildfires and possible evacuations in JANUARY....literally the farthest month from wildfire season in California?

Fuck me this timeline just keeps cooking us doesn't it?

Quote

Climate Models Can't Explain What's Happening to Earth

Fifty years into the project of modeling Earth's future climate, we still don't really know what's coming. Some places are warming with more ferocity than expected. Extreme events are taking scientists by surprise. Right now, as the bald reality of climate change bears down on human life, scientists are seeing more clearly the limits of our ability to predict the exact future we face.

[...] The coming decades may be far worse, and far weirder, than the best models anticipated.

[...] Models simply can't function on the scale at which people live, because assessing the impact of current emissions on the future world requires hundreds of years of simulations. Modeling the Earth at one-square-kilometer pixels would take "like a hundred thousand times more computation than we currently have,"

https://www.theatlan...s-earth/681207/

... which is one area where quantum computing will eventually help:

Quote

Quantum computing stands at the forefront of this technology capability, offering unprecedented speed and accuracy in processing complex simulations. This capability is key when climate modeling, enabling more precise forecasts of weather patterns. Such accurate predictions are vital for developing effective preparation and response strategies.

Quantum sensors exhibit remarkable sensitivity, capable of detecting minute fluctuations in physical characteristics like magnetic fields, temperature, and pressure with great precision, all of which are essential for monitoring environmental changes.

https://climate-chan...tum-technology/

[Raymond Luxury Yacht]

Got an appointment scheduled for these headaches but it’s not for a couple weeks. This shit is brutal. I’m also trying to get an appointment to get diagnosed with a genetic condition I think I have that affects connective tissue and can mess with spinal stability, which i needed to do anyways but now seems more important because I think they are related. I sound like I’m just making things up at this point.