Personal chat thread

[Time_Traveller]

After 7 months I decided to step down as an admin on their Doctor Who FB group due to over the upcoming days I would be doing more hours at work and two that they were saying that me and another admin weren't shifting our weight as they and not doing alot of administrative roles on their group. To be honest, a few months ago, I wasn't really planning on being an admin of a group on FB anyway and was planning to leave the entire site.

[Yuli Ban]

Well that was """fun"""




Short story, my mother's cat bit me and infected me with Pasteurella. It wasn't really her fault; the poor thing was put into a bad situation and I told my mother it wasn't a good idea to keep her with me, and when I had to get her into her kennel, she went into full attack model

However, I went into the ER pretty early on and got it flushed out of my hand after it started swelling up, though I did put it off for about 2-3 days, unsure if the swelling was going to go down, only to learn once I got to the hospital that the bacteria was probably already in my blood. So thankfully I went in when I did, as even now, I can reliably bend my finger again and all that's left to do is get the stitches removed in a few weeks.

If I put this off for a full week like I originally intended, there could have been some serious problems. Likely losing this index finger of mine, either in terms of motion or physically.

If nothing else, this was the first time I've ever had surgery. Took me 29 years! I had no intention of it; I just thought I broke my finger and I had to get a stint, only to suddenly be getting IV drips and then a gown and a mask and suddenly knocked out, and then stuck in a hospital bed for 2 days until I got discharged earlier. Wasn't too terribly fun being so restricted, just stewing in my sweaty bed with a stiff neck against an uncomfortable bed and nurses that sometimes flat out ignored requests and calls.
Outside of some critically high blood pressure that I can get down with medication (already did this once, which is why I foolishly stopped in the first place), I got a completely clean bill of health. One reason I tend to get hospital anxiety is because of the idea that they do blood work or X-rays and say "we found some cancerous mass," yet here I learn that everything's optimal and nothing's suspicious other than some high cholesterol causing high blood pressure (which, I'm from southern Louisiana, we eat grease for breakfast and I'm only barely exaggerating, that's not exactly uncommon around for these parts)
If anything, I did have some thoughts about it all, about how the constant health monitoring and ability to request some help/receive food regularly made me think that this could be a norm for anyone with access to decently modern technology in a few years. Just imagining a mildly invasive monitor that can keep track of things like blood glucose, cholesterol, heart rate, liver enzymes, etc. and immediately give you a report 24/7, while robotic servants of all shapes and capabilities serve you at home
(Anyone remember those robotic chef arms? Apparently something's actually coming of those, and it wasn't vaporware: https://www.ft.com/content/fa707da3-886 ... 500c4f9dbf)

[wjfox]

Well that was """fun"""

[...]

Damn! Sorry to hear you went through all that. But glad you seem to be doing okay.

I hope you're covered by health insurance, as I know how insanely expensive the U.S. health system can be.

You mentioned cholesterol -- I would definitely watch that, and work to reduce your current level. It's really crucial to a longer life.

Anyone remember those robotic chef arms? Apparently something's actually coming of those, and it wasn't vaporware: https://www.ft.com/content/fa707da3-886 ... 500c4f9dbf

Yes, and there's one that's just opened at a showroom in London, which I plan to visit soon.

[SerethiaFalcon]

Hope everyone who is living outside the tropics had a good winter solstice (for the northern hemisphere) and summer solstice (for the southern hemisphere). For everyone celebrating holidays over the next few weeks, I hope you have an enjoyable time, and if there are any illnesses or recoveries, that they go smoothly!

[wjfox]

My parents aren't exactly super-old (74 and 75, respectively), but they are definitely starting to lose their memories. I have to keep repeating things to them both, such as the fact I don't eat pigs' meat anymore. And various things we said only hours before.

Also, my Dad's hair is looking greyer than last time I visited.

I hate seeing the aging process unfold, seemingly almost in real time. I know it's unlikely my Mum and Dad will be around to experience the Singularity – but I try to encourage them to stay active and to exercise more, maintain a healthy diet, etc. and we frequently discuss The Future.™

I give them maybe a 1-5% chance of reaching Longevity Escape Velocity. I think my Dad has the better chance of this, as he's otherwise still in relatively good shape, and his mother lived to her mid-90s. I recently convinced him to start using a treadmill again.

I myself wasn't very self-disciplined yesterday and drank copious amounts of Baileys liqueur. I need to reduce my alcohol intake for sure, as this year I went out far more frequently than previous years and got drunk on several occasions. Maybe that could be my New Year's resolution.

[Powers]

(Almost) 1 month electrical blackout, will update a bit more later.

[wjfox]

(Almost) 1 month electrical blackout, will update a bit more later.

I was wondering where you'd disappeared to.

[erowind]

(Almost) 1 month electrical blackout, will update a bit more later.

Wow. What country if you don’t mind my asking? That sucks, glad to have you back.

[wjfox]

Today is the last day of my three-week holiday.

I stayed with my parents in Norfolk during the first week. It was nice to get away from the noise and bustle of London, although I still had trouble sleeping (mainly due to using an inflatable bed in the spare room). We had some great food, watched some great TV, and also visited my brother, niece, and two nephews.

I've been back in London for the last two weeks, working pretty much solidly on my next website, alongside a few posts to Future Timeline. I've made really good progress on the former, in large part thanks to ChatGPT and its coding abilities. The main page template is now almost done. Just a few minor adjustments to be made, and then I can do the other sections, which are likely to be simpler.

I really hope 2024 is the year I can launch this new website, and start making money from that, possibly enough to quit my current job! And then I can get Past Timeline underway (finally, 13 years after registering the domain...), and maybe expand my YouTube content too.

[Time_Traveller]

Well it was an emotional week last week because the family pet died which had been with us for the last 10 years or so off his life, whilst being old my mum and stepdad found out that his organs were failing and he had a heart murmer which got worse since before Christmas, over the days that followed were hard and were about to do things that we used to but realised he wasn't there but over that time, it has now it has got better.

Besides the sad part of my chat, I have decided to replace my current clothing over time by starting to buy sustainable and recycled clothing from an online store called EcoAlf and other similar stores.