Life s Overload light. Checking in on everyone.

Sometimes things feel like a vu meter pegged to one side because the opamp driving it is not seeing it’s v+ and V-. I’m sure we all have felt that way one time or another. For some it comes and goes and for others it doesn’t leave.  I’m sure I am not alone in this especially during the current climate.
Aside from turning to things like smoking, drinking and other things which temporarily alleviate the feelings but often cause them to come back worse,  Let’s talk mental health. I know many of us went through a lot in the past year from loss of work to loss of loved ones.
How are you hanging in there? Me I have been ok  over all but run into moments worry about things that were postponed. The amount of work will be taxing.. but holding our own right now.
I hope you guys have been well even if we disagree on some things.  I hope you all are doing as well as you can in such times.

Community is important for mental health and not just COVID but social trends are diminishing that.

I really hope the pukes in charge will get the schools open for the good of the kids who get stunted in the crouch ( old country saying). As the twig is bent yadda yadda. Now more than ever kids need effective schoolin...

I have personally been very critical of public schooling but left to their own devices, children will not strive to educate themselves so need our help now. I know several parents who have home schooled their children but that is luxury most can not afford.

I have been sheltering in place already for decades so the recent restrictions have not affected me as much as most people. I hope everyone is behaving as smartly as they know they should.

Be well, live long and prosper.

and... Wash your hands, wear a mask in public, and social distance. 

JR

PS: always the optimist I am seeing green shoots... but maybe thats just me.

I found the ultimate social distancing place.

But alas the price tag is way too much even after several price drops. It should be obvious that when a place has a name, it’s going to be beyond expensive. But one can dream right?

Check  out “granot loma”. Said to be the largest log cabin in the world. If I had the money, would love to social distance there as it would be beautiful

I may need to name my house.... Casa Johnny (the beer in Johnny beer is silent).

JR

JohnRoberts said:

I may need to name my house.... Casa Johnny (the beer in Johnny beer is silent).

JR

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pucho812 said:

Aside from turning to things like smoking,

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I've been off cigarettes for 20+ years, but this particular time has made me think more and more about starting again (not that I will, but I really miss it right now.)

I kind of feel where you're coming from with this post--it seems like a trying period for a lot of people.  In some ways  having a vaccine so close, and yet for most of us so far away, just ratchets up the tension and makes us more acutely aware of what we've been missing for the past 11 months or so. 

That's one reason I recently decided to (mostly) lay off the political posting--it doesn't feel like a good time to get into heated discussions. 

Thankfully, today's weather in Atlanta has been beautiful, and there's been ample opportunity to get some exercise & piddle in the yard.  That's always a positive for the mental health.

The first lock lock down was hard for us. I was told to shield which basically meant we could not go out at all. Fortunately the weather was good so we spent a lot of time in the garden. But we could not go shopping and we could not get delivery slots for grocery deliveries even though I had signed up to the government's priority list. For nearly three weeks we lived on what we had in the freezer and cupboards. Neighbours were very helpful with essential but I felt unable to ask them for a big shop.

Once we got regular delivery slots things settles down and the good summer was fine especially when the first lock down was lifted. Then the second wave started and the had some restrictions, which only got harder and let to another full lock down after Xmas. Since then has been the hardest. Can't get out in the garden, rarely  is the weather good enough to go for a walk and we are not allowed to drive anywhere except for essential purposes.

I gave up smoking a couple of decades ago and my current medication forbids alcohol so there are no obvious props for the feeling of incarceration. The best tonic was my wife and I getting the jab last week. At last a ray of sunshine.

Fortunately we are a happily married couple. I really feel for those who are elderly and single or not in loving mariages. Life must be hell for them.

Cheers

Ian

I feel you. I can dig that. I never gave up the tobacco pipe but I do go through periods of off and on. 


Since I mentioned granot loma, I’ll give the granot loma basic run down.

Built out of spite or so it would seem, the house sits on 5000 acres in the beautiful Michigan north woods. The property boats 4 miles of Lake Superior shoreline and has multiple dwellings on it.  The main house, granot loma, is 26,000 square feet and considered the largest log cabin in the world. It has its own private harbor and boathouse. Plus comes with an island off shore in case you want to get away. It’s secluded and has it’s own wind turbine for power.  It’s such a beautiful place.  But I would imagine the winters would be hellish.

hodad said:

I've been off cigarettes for 20+ years, but this particular time has made me think more and more about starting again (not that I will, but I really miss it right now.)

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cancer deaths are falling in part because less people are smoking...

I lost too many relatives to cancer including two immediate siblings who smoked. Since you have managed to stop, which is the hard part, it seems wise to stay stopped.

I kind of feel where you're coming from with this post--it seems like a trying period for a lot of people.  In some ways  having a vaccine so close, and yet for most of us so far away, just ratchets up the tension and makes us more acutely aware of what we've been missing for the past 11 months or so. 

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glass half full/half empty... I am optimistic about any positive news, but it must be searched for these days.

That's one reason I recently decided to (mostly) lay off the political posting--it doesn't feel like a good time to get into heated discussions. 

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thank you, (mostly).

Thankfully, today's weather in Atlanta has been beautiful, and there's been ample opportunity to get some exercise & piddle in the yard.  That's always a positive for the mental health.

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I sprayed dormant oil on my pecan trees today, a little windy and cool, but those particular insect eggs won't hatch.

JR

Looks like a fantastic spot Pucho, I wouldn't need a pandemic or lock-down in place to isolate in place like that!

Within the last year I've upped my ciggie smoking way beyond that of even a debauched  '70's rock star so,  not good. 
My whiskey drinking isn't far behind, although I do take a few weeks off from time to time. 

My mental health in terms of 'blackdog' has been on and off for a couple of decades now anyway, so it can be hard to judge any particular year. 
I haven't had an existential crisis in a while so I have that going for me. 
Measured by how often I have suicidal thoughts...  I've not done so well.

Nothing much has changed in my living situation so that's not really been a concern.  I do worry a lot about other folks whose work and living circumstances are very precarious though.


Peace and love to all. 



   

Winston O'Boogie said:

Within the last year I've upped my ciggie smoking way beyond that of even a debauched  '70's rock star

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When I tell my young smoker friends that a pack a day used to be considered the low end of moderate, and that there were plenty of people who smoked 2-3 packs a day, they're often a little shocked.  Kids these days just don't smoke the same way we did in olden times. 

Winston O'Boogie said:

Looks like a fantastic spot Pucho, I wouldn't need a pandemic or lock-down in place to isolate in place like that!

Within the last year I've upped my ciggie smoking way beyond that of even a debauched  '70's rock star so,  not good. 
My whiskey drinking isn't far behind, although I do take a few weeks off from time to time. 

My mental health in terms of 'blackdog' has been on and off for a couple of decades now anyway, so it can be hard to judge any particular year. 
I haven't had an existential crisis in a while so I have that going for me. 
Measured by how often I have suicidal thoughts...  I've not done so well.

Nothing much has changed in my living situation so that's not really been a concern.  I do worry a lot about other folks whose work and living circumstances are very precarious though.


Peace and love to all. 



 

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It does look fab for sure and yes  do not need a lock down for reason to leave it all.

I went through a heavy drinking phase but way before lockdown.  While I never had a problem per say, I did consume more then my fair share.  Take care of yourself, I know how easy it is to just have one more

Weirdly enough when I get really stressed out I *stop* drinking.  Lately I've been feeling somewhat more positive but the drinking has been falling off, so I dunno. Also living with a slightly weird and not yet diagnosed health issue, though likely it's just something that's been around forever finally (with age) starting to push itself to the front.

I don't want to be a cynic but I am a college lecturer and the pandemic has been, aside from all its nastyness, something that actually benefited me, I get paid the same, I don't have to leave home since all my classes are Zoom based and I get everything delivered. I actually cringe by the thought of having to drive all the way to university again (its far from where I am).

Regarding my health, I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes around 3 months ago, I also have some very serious anxiety problems and one of the big reasons I gained weight through out the years was due to the anti anxiety pill (Olanzapine+Prozac), I had an extreme appetite, a compulsion I would say, long ago I used to smoke, it was the same feeling but with food. Around 1.5 months ago my doctor changed my anti-anxiety medication (now I take Xanax+Prozac) and added metformin for the pre-diabetes, it wasn't a walk in the park, I had some serious drug withdrawl from the old medication, it was gradual but it was painful. One month and a half later I've lost 22 pounds, no diet, I just don't have the urge to eat that much anymore (I also drink a lot less beer) and my sugar levels are almost back to normal. I still have a lot of weight to lose,  but hey, 22lbs is a good start.

i'm not great in other areas thou, my cholesterol level is what I would call "controlled" (I also take a pill for that), I have fatty liver and also high uric acid and triglycerides. Getting older and being obese is not a good combo. My blood pressure is the only thing that seems to be spot on. I get comfort from the fact that when I asked my doctor "If I lose all the weight will things go back to normal?" he said "Yes", so thats my new goal.

On a side note, after 9 years of celibacy, I just found out that my way of life is refered to as MGTOW (pronounced Migtow), apparently there is a whole entire movement, I just thought I was a lonely weirdo, go figure!

Interesting thread and good to talk about . 
I was working on a change in scenery for the last three years.  30 years in Denver in the same home was great while working in postproduction.  I did a 1031 exchange 3 years ago of a business for a small farm property in the country, but had to rent it out as a business to qualify for the exchange.  We moved out of golden and sold the house and cashed out of Denver Beginning of this year.  Moved to 4 acres .  I have a cool ranch house and a large shop.  Bought a small tractor To avoid lifting and shoveling snow and have about 80 tall pine trees on the property.  I pinch myself everyday.  I spent 2 months working on the house I sold and collapsed after moving to the farm in Elizabeth.  I have everything to be thankful for.

I deal with depression but have been  reward by using it As a way to improve life.  Take it a day at a time, but always have a 2 - 5 year plan your working on.  It keeps you out of trouble.

I heard a quote the other day “ Why is it with nothing but improvement behind us were to expect nothing but deterioration in front of us”

I find that if you ask a person how they feel about their own life they will usually feel positive that they will make.  If you ask them about the world ,  They feel trouble ahead.  I know nothing about the world except what I hear from the news. 

One more quote “  The news tilts itself very hard towards the catastrophic the only reason for that is the news purveyors seek attention“. I’m going to stop listening to the news.  And work on projects at the farm in my small community. 

There is a church Next door and I go to a group for coffee on tuesdays which is today.  I feel connected to the the group .  There are 3 or 4 guys that have had strokes and it’s sad to see these very smart hardworking people loose there past life due to lack of motor skill or confusion on staying at a task they use to be experts at.  I help one of the guys get things done at his house like getting a gas motor running to split logs for his stove to heat his house or fix a old Gibson amp to play guitar through even with the lack of strength in his left hand.  It feels good to help someone.  These are my people as my brother says.  I’m in the right place at the right time.  The pandemic is just another obstacle to work around
And evaluate where to Go from here. 

I grew up working on a ranch in a border town in south texas so I know the idea and how peaceful it can be.

Granot Loma is very beautiful.  It is a lovely idea to find a place to escape to.  When you hold thoughts like that in your mind,  I find that what your looking for comes to you rather than having to chase after it. Good luck puncho.

Kudos to groupDIY for providing us with a safe haven to keep us all in touch and help in staying sane.

Cheers

Ian

pucho812 said:

But I would imagine the winters would be hellish.

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Even in the summer the waters are frigid. Crystal clear amd nearly of drinking quality. I have snowmobiled near this area and winter is absolutely unforgiving. Beautiful, though. Nice post, Pucho.

ruffrecords said:

Kudos to groupDIY for providing us with a safe haven to keep us all in touch and help in staying sane.

Cheers

Ian

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I concur