The catch-up thread

[Surlethe]

Since it now takes a couple years for a thread to slide off the front page here in OT, I thought it would be fun to have a thread where we can catch up. Even, or especially, if you don't frequent the board, when you do log in to catch up, drop in here and share what's happened in your life since the last time.

Maybe I'm nostalgic today - noticed it's been 20 years to the day since I joined the board - or maybe I'm just in Christmas card mode and hoping to get them written before June. But I hope everyone who drops by OT participates and we can keep this going for a few years.

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I'll go first I was in grad school for a long time, finished my PhD in math, left academia (see my title), and moved up to near Chicago. Still married and still totally in love. We're coming up on 17 years next August. My older kid's in high school and getting ready to drive, thinking about college. Younger kid's in middle school and totally obsessed with fortnite (not a surprise) and trains (more fun, and also not a surprise). It's super fun watching them grow up and seeing how adolescence plays out in different cases. The biggest surprise is how not-smooth the transition is: they go from child to adult in an eyeblink, and then back. (Also they're best friends half the time, and worst screaming enemies the other half the time.)

I haven't been very interested in Star Wars since the ST. Not a big fan of the JJ Abrams Vibes Approach to Movie-making, which seems to be pretty common these days. (See also: Rings of Power.) So I have branched out in my SFF interests, especially to books - if you haven't, please go read the Ancillary series by Ann Leckie.

Life seems pretty stable at the moment, the next foreseeable big changes coming up are getting ready to be empty-nesters(!)

Hope everyone else is doing well, and that this thread takes off. Happy new year!

[Broomstick]

Before I update everyone I want to say that NOW I'm doing fine. Remember: happy ending!

In April of 2023 I started showed the first symptoms of what turned out to be endometrial cancer. Fortunately caught very early. I "just" required surgery, no chemo or radiation. So... in a weird way I did cancer on "easy mode" although of course it wasn't easy, just not as hard as for some people. Managed to get through that without going bankrupt. Having all my internal reproductive apparatus wasn't fun and neither has the adjustments to a marked lack of hormones (I have an appointment next month to discuss whether or not it would be safe for me to replace some or all of those, and if so, whether or not that would be a good idea).

No sooner did that all settle down then I started losing vision in my right eye. Completely unrelated to having cancer, but I guess related to getting older. Three surgeries later I am now enjoying better eyesight than ever before in my life thought that, too, is requiring adjustment as well.

These are some of the reasons I haven't been here as much these last few years - with five surgeries in 18 months a lot of that time was spent on recovering, then pushing myself to continue working full time, and leaving me with little energy for other things.

I strongly suspect my flying/piloting days are over. I just don't have the money to jump through all the required medical testing and certifications to get a medical clearance again. Once again - I am very glad I did that while I had the chance.

[Raw Shark]

Once, I was a rowdy, promiscuous youth who broke minor laws for the funsies. Then I was a rowdy, promiscuous adult who broke less-minor laws for money. Now I'm a rowdy, monogamous adult who is too busy taking care of his parents to be a hooligan and in full-blown midlife crisis. I have no idea what my next step is, but I do know it's not here. I never wanted to come back to Massachusetts.

I've been trying to get back to the self I actually like for a couple of years. Eating healthy, exercise. My drinking problem is still a daily struggle; some days I do better than others. Got my name in another GURPS book this year through a playtest. I miss my game group in Denver, and playing in a band, and having dozens of good friends who live in the same area code.

[Solauren]

Job at the Provincial Government ended (Province no longer doing sales tax...) -
But it was absorbed by the Federal Government!

Wife's pregnancy ended in a miscarriage the day after she turned 30.
No more attempts to have children (We needed medical assistance anyway)

My dogs got old. One had cancer. $$ surgry, and had him for another 26 months.
The other (his girl really) followed a few months later.

A year later (nearly 2 years ago) we got a new dog! A Shiba Inu. He's what some people call a 'King' sized, at 34 lbs. We call him 'Kaiju' sized.
Then we got another one! She's now 8 months old, and at 19 lbs she appears to be close to fully grown.
She tries to jump him, and bounces off. Hes tried to jump on him when his head was down sniffing something, and when he lifts his head, she ends up getting a WWE grade Backdrop.
(He can also pull me across the floor in my office chair)

Oh, and somehow, all sanity in this house disappeared sometime in the last year.....
It was over rated anyway.

Wife was in a car accident last Labor Day. The other guy t-boned the car. No criminal responsibility. The other guy, a motorcycle rider, died.
(Otherwise, I might have been asking Raw Shark to come up to help me with something...)

I fell down the stairs about 13 months ago. Fracture in my T-12. I can no longer wear belts due to the preassure they put in that area. (Especially when sitting). I'm now a 'suspenders guy'

I'm also on my 2nd 3d printer, looking to upgrade to a multi-filament/color system eventually.

[aerius]

Got forced out of my cushy .gov job 12 years ago, it ended in lawsuits and NDAs so that's all I can say. Except that it had nothing to do with the warehouse fire earlier that year which was caused by some dumbass who was charging the battery of his pickup truck inside the building. While the charger was on top of a bunch of flammables. I might've written something about this back then, but I've had a concussion and a couple pounds of weed since then so I don't remember things at times.

Then there was 2020 when my parents & I lost almost half our family friends to covid, never thought I'd be giving this many eulogies at my age. Fucking shit year it was, lost a bunch of family friends, lost a good friend from college, childhood friend revealed he has AIDS, and I lost my job too when my employer went under due to forced covid closures. I want to go back to 2018 and nuke a certain virus lab from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

Other than everything's great, finally back on good terms with my parents after some serious disagreements we've had and not talking to each other for over 5 years as a result. This is year #26 without a TV, over half my life without a TV in my house and to say it's liberating would be an understatement. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to sit down for a week and watch current TV programs and shows. Would TV even be recognizable? I'd probable spend the first day going "what in the fucking fuck am I watching??" I live in a world where I can sit down with my kids and watch live feeds of the Zhuhai air show in China on Youtube and have Richard Feynman lecture me in physics, what would I even want to watch on TV?

[Raw Shark]

Wife was in a car accident last Labor Day. The other guy t-boned the car. No criminal responsibility. The other guy, a motorcycle rider, died.
(Otherwise, I might have been asking Raw Shark to come up to help me with something...)

I mean, my time is worth money, but I'd cross international borders and give you friend prices if you want to relocate the corpse somewhere embarrassing...

[Solauren]

Wife was in a car accident last Labor Day. The other guy t-boned the car. No criminal responsibility. The other guy, a motorcycle rider, died.
(Otherwise, I might have been asking Raw Shark to come up to help me with something...)

I mean, my time is worth money, but I'd cross international borders and give you friend prices if you want to relocate the corpse somewhere embarrassing...

My friend would have wanted it public and brutally displayed. (Shrugs).

[Gandalf]

After a long period of crap, life is ideal.

I got the fuck out of academia. Now my wife and I have cool permanent jobs at not for profit orgs. We have our own place with our two cats. It feels like my mind has never been sharper, and I've been putting that to fun and rewarding use.

[muse]

I've been formally diagnosed as being clinically insane.
Other than that, everything's great.

[Dalton]

Coming up on my 20th anniversary as full-time staff at my company.. and still lurking here. Time flies.

[Raw Shark]

I've been formally diagnosed as being clinically insane.
Other than that, everything's great.

Be honest here, did you really care about being sane that much? I mean, what we're talking about here is kind of why I always liked you. I sincerely believe that the truly mad recognize our own.

[muse]

Be honest here, did you really care about being sane that much?

Actually, yes. That's why I formally diagnosed myself as being certifiably insane.


Note - muse is a fully qualified psychologist so she can talk about herself in the 3rd person and diagnose herself (and others) as crazy. She is also considering a sign on her desk which reads "any questions about Jordan Peterson shall incur a $25 surcharge per question for the session"

[Batman]

Actually especially if true, that diagnosis is self defeating. If you're insane you are NOT qualified to diagnose people. And before you put up that sign who the hell is Jordan Peterson, why should I care and will that be $25 american or australian or canadian or what?

[muse]

Actually especially if true, that diagnosis is self defeating. If you're insane you are NOT qualified to diagnose people. And before you put up that sign who the hell is Jordan Peterson, why should I care and will that be $25 american or australian or canadian or what?

Actually...
https://bbs.stardestroyer.net/viewtopic ... 1#p4138421


And Jordan Peterson is a Canadian psychologist who said a lot of controversial things on social media and interviews and got into hot water with various medical regulatory boards. I don't really know what he did beyond a 10 second media bite level and have no real opinions on him, but many of my patients keep asking me about him.

[Batman]

That's the kind of legalistic garbage that leads to people like Harley getting a degree.

[Ralin]

And before you put up that sign who the hell is Jordan Peterson, why should I care and will that be $25 american or australian or canadian or what?

Right-wing shithead guru type who got his start by loudly refusing to stop misgendering transgender students. Influential and a trainwreck of a person.

[Raw Shark]

Note - muse is a fully qualified psychologist so she can talk about herself in the 3rd person and diagnose herself (and others) as crazy. She is also considering a sign on her desk which reads "any questions about Jordan Peterson shall incur a $25 surcharge per question for the session"

Note - Raw Shark studied psychology for four years but chose to be a taxi driver instead. Oh hey, sometimes I know stuff!

That's the kind of legalistic garbage that leads to people like Harley getting a degree.

Harley understands people pretty well, she just has some personal blinders sometimes (ie: With regard to Puddin', but even she sees him for what he is occasionally. Honestly I think she should just stay with Pamela, who is still kind of problematic but treats her better)