Best posts made by Auspice

There's metrics on how many times a person changes careers in their lifetime. I think it's something like 5?

My jobs, to the best of my memory... Lessee... It began at 14, at a boarding kennel.

• Filing at a legal office
• Retail (book store)
• Retail (party store)
• Jr. Network Admin
• Data entry
• Other temp gigs
• Tech support
• Jr. Sys Admin
• Tech support
• Maintenance agent
• Tech support
• Freelance writing
• Bowling alley

...and whatever you call what I do now. I guess not terrible for covering 16/17 years. My current company has been almost 6 years of that, however (I hit 6 years in May).

I started out wanting to do web design and did a few freelance before I realized I did not have the patience for it ("So, tell me what you're looking for..." - "Oh, just do whatever. You're the artist." -- later -- "That's not what I wanted at all!").

I'm currently in school for a Creative Writing degree, because I've realized it's the only thing I truly enjoy in a career environment. Unfortunately, I'm also highly aware that my likelihood of finding a job using it is pretty much nil.

@surreality said in How do you make money?:

He said the one thing that is probably the most educational and human thing I ever learned in college:

"This is the only thing you have ever handed me, smiling."

...and he's right. It matters.

This is why I finally began working on the degree for writing. It'll be hard to find work in it, but I enjoy it. Even the non-creative stuff.

I get people who ask me about it. 'I love writing for RP and fanfic! How can I get a job like that?'

One of the freelance gigs I had, I was writing copy for 'blogs.' What this guy really did was buy up dozens of sites along the lines of <city>plumber.com and then it'd redirect to his commercialized deal (aka he gets paid if people book a plumber through it). So I was writing SEO-optimized copy for these scummy ass blogs trying to take advantage of people.

...a lot of the writing out there is like that. And I was lucky he paid well. There's people who think offering $5/article is "good pay."

But I enjoy it. I enjoyed even that soul-sucking garbage above because it was writing. It's the only thing I've ever done that doesn't rapidly make me hate waking up to work every day. It's why I can work 40 hour weeks at my paying job and then put in 20-40 hours a week on school.

@Catsmeow said in RL Anger:

@Auspice

OOOOOHHHHEEEEEMMMMGEEEE

Normally, I'm polite to people coming to the door, but my goal is to get them to go away as quick as possible. I take their religious track, make nice and send them on their way. God the Mother people came by and I was like wait, what? That one, I admit I totally took the time to hear out.

Right?! They're kinda fascinating. Like there's this level of crazy and you're just like 'yes please tell me more.'

@Autumn said in RL Anger:

@Auspice said in RL Anger:

But more than a gun, I kinda want this: https://www.preppergunshop.com/flamethrowers

Why settle for one or the other?

I wanna be Ripley when I grow up.

I came across this article today.

I've got myself in the queue to get her book from my library.

I grew up in that environment of negative emotions, even in sensical situations (didn't get the part in the play, broke a limb, etc. type things) being unacceptable.

I've had those people over the years who berate me about thinking positive, to the point I was making things worse because I'd end up shaming myself for being 'unable' to be positive.

This woman doesn't speak about giving over to the negative emotions, but instead to acknowledge them, accept them, and find the root cause so that you can move forward. I've been doing this in a way (largely due to a therapist who has helped me understand that it is OK to feel, even if it's a negative emotion) and I have felt so much better. I'm happier now, embracing those emotions, than I was when I'd beat myself up for not 'thinking positive.'

@Ganymede said in Mental Health and Grown Up Stuff:

@Lisse24 said in Mental Health and Grown Up Stuff:

This very morning, as I explained the situation with my niece, a friend said, "Well, she'll be home soon!" No. No, she won't and it sucks. We're tired and grumpy and telling us to look on the bright side delegitimizes the struggle that we're going through right now.

They are saying this to comfort themselves. Folks don't want to admit how easy it is to fall on hard times. They still want to believe that everything will be fine if you pick yourself up by the bootstraps.

It's dangerous to the people in the thick of it, tho. It's like that article even said- that woman had people in a cancer group who were the most optimistic people she'd ever met. Which, props to them for being positive. It's hard in that state.

But the whole mindset of 'Just be optimistic!' leads so many of us to either squelching the sad/upset or even berating themselves for it. It's OK to feel like something sucks when it does.

I'm sorry to hear, @Lisse24. Esp. your niece. That sort of situation is hard on everyone.

Just a sort of update here, since I'd posted elsewhere (Anger thread) about the migraines.

They're still happening. I've gotten to the point where I just sort of soldier on through the pain. It's the other stuff that gets me (nausea, vertigo, etc.).

Got the MRI report back. Nothing glaring on it, thankfully! But they still want me to see the neurologist because some of the flares of the migraine have put me in a state of feeling like I'm about to pass out (I feel 'disconnected' and heady, suddenly lose what I was saying/doing, can't focus my eyes)...

I'm seeing a chiropractor as I can afford / make time. Don't know if it's the cause of or result of, but my spine is pretty out of whack, so it's a mix of adjustments, massage, and home stretches and such.

Appreciate the folks that have touched base. My big worry right now is how I'll handle the flights for a trip I'm taking (attending a wedding) at the end of the month. Earliest neuro visit I've been able to nab is April 10th.

Anyone else suffered migraines and flown? If so... how was it? No worse? Def. worse? Any tips?

• The Deliverator belongs to an elite order, a hallowed subcategory. And then the murders began.

• Coraline discovered the door a little while after they moved into the house. And then the murders began.

• It was starting to end, after what seemed most of eternity to me. And then the murders began.

"We should start back,” Gared urged as the woods began to grow dark around them. And then the murders began...

This is my absolute favorite yet:

We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. And then the murders began.

It was a nice day. And then the murders began...

(Thank you, Good Omens.)

Before my divorce in '14, I used to bake. A lot. Pretty much weekly and often new things. Spent a while perfecting a few bread recipes, trying all kinds of cup/cakes.

But after the divorce, things ended up in upheaval for a while (as they do) and I just lost the spirit. However, in binging the episodes that Netflix has of The Great British Bake-Off, I've found myself a bit renewed.

Today was something simple: peanut butter cookies.
Tomorrow I think I might put together a soda bread with cranberries.
Later in the week, I'm thinking of trying my hand at arlettes (though I will likely cheat and buy my puff pastry because making it is tedious).

@Catsmeow said in RL things I love:

@Auspice

Another reason I love you (um in a friendly way or something). I use to throw these dinner parties with themes and I loved decorating the table and making stuff from scratch. Life just sort of blah'ed. I've been binge watching a cooking show and I'm like. Damnit. I'm going to start doing that.

I did that for a handful of months at one time! Once a month, dinner party, some sort of theme for the drinks. The boozy hot chocolate bar was the biggest hit.

@Gingerlily said in RL Anger:

@Auspice

I sympathize with a lot of your posts, I'm in the same boat. Have been since I was a teenager pretty much, though I go through periods where its not that bad and periods where it is horrible. So sorry for your suffering and pain-free thoughts your way.

Uff. Since you were a teenager? I'm so sorry. I used to get maybe 1 or 2 a year. Now it's 'Did I sit up in the morning? Yes? Migraine.' I have had a couple friends over the years who would regularly end up in urgent care for migraines and I never 'got' it, but now I do (having been to UC once already for a toradol injection).

@Faceless

<looking at the cheese-loving cat in her lap.>

Her nickname is 'Noodle' for a reason.

@Catsmeow said in RL things I love:

Quorn

But I do think I have a recipe in my vegan notes. If I find it, I'll PM it to you. I'm in the middle of packing, so it might not be for a month - unless by some miracle I haven't packed it yet.

Qorn is also really handy for emulating pork chops!
And seitan works super well with Cavender's greek spice to make faux-gyro meat.

@Nietzsche said in RL Anger:

@Sparks I honestly regard things like Discord, Slack, etc, as being TeamSpeak/Ventrilo for people who can't use computers, i.e., most people over the age of 35. Yes, even the techies.

Well, considering Slack doesn't have voicechat (by default), I'd have to disagree with that.

I like Slack because I prefer text communication to voice. Don't call me. Please never call me.

@surreality said in RL Anger:

@Auspice The year the yarn (and/or other craft supplies) get nominated, that is the year this tradition will end. Trust me on this.

Otherwise, this is brilliant.

The craft supplies have been nominated. :
I keep picking up new hobbies and falling off the wagon. I gotta get rid of stuff I just don't use. But the yarn stays. All of the yarn. I knit/crochet enough to justify it. A lot of the fabric, too, as I still plan to someday make a tshirt quilt at least.

But clay, random beads, and other fiddly stuff I've just been toting around? That'll get given away.

Double post blah blah...

For class right now, we have to build portfolio sites. OK, that's fine. I've meant to for years now.

Got the feedback on my 'work so far' today and one of the things my instructor wants me to do is to replace my intro with 'Welcome to my slice of the web.'

No.
Fuck no.
Hell no.

I am not doing that 'slice of the web' or 'corner of the web' bullshit. This is supposed to be a professional writing portfolio, not a 16-year-old in 2002 building a Geocities page.

I don't even care if she penalizes me on the final for not including that. No way in hell.

In PA, there is Yuengling, the beer company, which supports Trump. Boo them.

In PA, there is also Yuengling's (note the 's), a small, privately owned, family-run ice cream company.

Yuengling's has made a Butterbeer ice cream which is freaking awesome.

Unfortunately, a friend is getting reamed a guy who cannot tell the difference between the two companies, despite being repeatedly told and explained and given links. Nope. In his mind, they are one and the same and she is a horrible, evil person.

Some people just need to not.