Keeping the weekly post warm until @alyaza comes back 🙂
What’s everyone been up to? Any plans for the weekend?
I was invited to meet some OSM users. It was the first time I have ever met a Linux user in the wild. And I met several. It looks like we are forming some sort of local group of mappers. So, I suppose the week started off with a surprise.
Exciting. I miss going to Linux User Group meetings and meeting other OSS enthusiasts and seeing all the cool projects they were working on. Sadly, all our LUGs died out and are no longer a thing in my country, and I suspect it’s the case in many parts of the world.
This week is being a bit of a roller coaster. I got a CPAP machine yesterday after having been on a waiting list to get one for years. I was so happy to get it! But last night was by far the worst sleep I’ve had in ages- the machine feels like it’s suffocating me, and I apparently pushed it off my face at some point during the night, but the ridiculous app that came with the machine does not tell you what time you removed the mask or for how long, and apparently if you wake up and take a long time to fall asleep again, the app will totally ignore the initial period of sleep.
So today I’m exhausted and irritable, and woke up to excited messages from friends who were expecting the CPAP to change my life from the very first night, which was difficult to cope with, though of course I know they meant well. I hope things will get better.
It can be really tough adjusting to the CPAP. And even if you’d slept with it properly, there’s no guarantee you’d feel great in the morning. Many people take weeks or months to see significant results as they make for lost sleep. That was the case for me. I still struggle with it but I’m doing better now.
I’m not sure what you mean by the machine suffocating you, but it could be a couple of things. One, if you don’t have ramp on, it’ll turn on full blast first thing which can be…jarring. It’s possible that your mask isn’t fitted correctly or that it just isn’t a good match for you. That’s ok! That’s why we have people to help us fit them and many masks to choose from.
I’m not sure what machine you have, but if you can put an SD card in it, you might be able to get more detailed data from that.
Thanks for the kind words. When I say I feel like I’m suffocating, I mean that I feel like I can’t exhale properly, which to me feels like suffocating. But it’s only my first night with the machine and I don’t intend to give up. Ramp is turned on, and the device says I have the nasal pillows placed properly. The device has an SD card and I plan to install OSCAR to get better data, but because of the way the system works where I live, it’s better for me not to take out the SD card every single day if I can avoid it (I don’t own the machine, it belongs to the health service).
Try experimenting with turning off the ramp. I always felt like I was struggling to breathe until I turned off the ramp on mine, it was so much easier to breathe with it turned off.
I think that may be a good idea, because I noticed that when I get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, then come back and reattach the hose, the higher pressure is actually more comfortable.
Last night I slept a little better and didn’t push the nasal pillow off in my sleep, so there’s some progress.
It definitely takes a bit to get used to that, especially on the exhale. I found that it became better over time, especially once I was able to stop focusing on the mask and my breathing. I don’t use the ramp up personally, as I find it more comfortable for me. Definitely keep at it, and you should be able to talk to your provider if you keep having issues. I had to go through a few settings/mask types to find the right one.
Well, that is just not fun. You’re nice because you know those friends of yours meant well.
Mask fit and machine settings can be tricky to get dialed in, and they make a big difference. There’s a pretty good YouTuber with a channel called CPAP Reviews that may be useful for you. Your doctor and DME provider should be a good resource, and in many cases they are…buy sadly this can be hit or miss.
Thanks for that. Sadly, I’m far more likely to get useful information from the Internet than I am from my medical team. I actually turned to YouTube to “fill in” details the technician didn’t bother to tell me- namely that “mask leak” with a nasal pillow can be caused by opening your mouth. I also was able to work out, thanks to videos, that the nasal pillow I was told to use was a terrible fit for me, which is why I felt like I was suffocating and unable to breathe the first night, but the correct size was thankfully in the box. It’s been much smoother sailing since I swapped to the correct size pillow.
That sucks. Is it something you can get used to do you think? Can imagine it’s a bit of a change
Yeah, it’s a big change. My adult son has been using CPAP for about two years and I’ve seen how much it helps him, so I am not giving up yet by any means. I’m just feeling whiny because I’m so tired of being exhausted and I guess I thought I’d see a huge benefit from day one.
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About six years ago, I changed the password to a secondary email account I had and promptly forgot it. I mostly used that email address for junk, but it was connected to some accounts that I either still used or wanted to delete. Over the past several years, I have tried every password I could think of or find scribbled on a scrap of paper somewhere. I attempted account recovery, then advanced account recovery (where a human reviews all the information I can give them about the account). When I got a job at the company that runs this email service, I tried the internal account recovery method twice, but still was not able to convince them that it was my account.
A few weeks ago, I tried a new writing exercise. I got an old, empty notebook and started writing. I turned the page, and there it was written: the username and password to this account.
Sometimes answers appear in unexpected places. I hope you figure out your password.
Just gave me flashbacks to when I forget my debit card pin.
it was a pin I’d used for years, used it multiple times a week if not every single day
Then one day I went to the cash point and just blanked. Lost it entirely. Poof.
Had to go through the hoops of requesting a new pin and I wasn’t able to get any money out at the time.
Wasn’t really a big deal at all…. But I totally get that weirdness of just banking on something that you had used so many times before without issue. Freaked me out for a while about how my brain could have just randomly deleted that bit of information that had seemed so solid before.
I’m not trying to compare my little inconvenience to your situation but just that you aren’t alone in the camp of suddenly forgetting a password that you’d known for ages.
I think housemate made me sick. So, climbing Mt bogong is going to be interesting…
Good luck with the climb, hope you manage ok
Shifting the pin for this week, thanks for posting this while alyaza is out 😄
i’ve been exhausted, but i don’t have any downtime until saturday. (hooray, beach trip!) really looking forward to sitting on the beach for several hours under the shibumiTM getting some reading done.
Hope you get a chance to recharge
thank you! :)
Is it weird to reply to my own thread? Ah well.
This week has been suspiciously good so far. Getting things done, people have largely been nice, spent the weekend with my sister’s cat which was lovely. I’m just waiting for something bad to happen (super healthy I know).
No it’s totally normal. I like to put my own answer in a parent comment rather than in the post body. The People ™ will decide whether it should be at the top.
pretty good so far! have a couple hangouts scheduled with friends, some important paperwork to do that i’ve been slacking on, and a camping trip this weekend! also i’m pretty excited for all that. and i’ve been getting some time to work on my jacket project, which makes me very happy.
Oh cool what kind of jacket are you making? Hope the weather is kind to you this weekend!
thanks! it’s just a black denim jacket i thrifted and have been “upgrading” in a way haha. sewing pockets on the inside, making and putting on some handmade patches for bands i like, embroidering on it, that kind of thing :)
nothing on the back though quite yetThat looks great! Very punk
I got fried kayaking over the weekend so I’m staying in the shade this week. Trip lasted longer than I expected and the sunscreen got washed off when we had to portage. Going to get some cleaning done while I’m out of service. Probably going to watch The Prestige while rubbing aloe on my legs.
i feel you, i burn way easy. last time i even applied sunscreen and didn’t even go swimming or anything :/ no clue if i just have to remember to reapply it or what, but it’s a total pain haha. hope you’re feeling better soon!
I am fanatical about applying sunscreen when I’m outside which sucks cause the one time I wasn’t an insane person I got cooked. On the boat I always wear a UV shirt, brimmed hat, and gloves to ensure my hands don’t get sunburned because that would be the worst. I have an open deck kayak and was sitting cross legged most of the time so I have a really interesting sunburn pattern lol.
Ouch hope you’re not too burnt! I burn so easily, I wear factor 50 SPF and still end up red. Not a fan of summer weather, though here it’s mostly rained for the last week so I’m grateful for that
Some virus managed to wreck inflammatory havoc around some of my nerves and the right side of my head has been numb since Thursday, my ear in pain, and a zoo of sporadic symptoms come and go 😅 So I have been in the computer a lot. I’ve been working on setting up a lemmy instance and I also played in the canvas.
As for the rest of the week… I have been procrastinating on thesis writing, and I need to be done before September, so I am trying to find a source of will-power to force myself to write. But this infection is not helping me 😬
What kind of thesis? Is it the MA or the PhD? I’ve completed both. First step is to get some glue and a paint brush. Second step is to slather your ass with the glue. Then, you sit in the chair. If it’s MA, you can probably get away with less glue. Do this after you get better. Just get better really soon. Then glue your ass to the chair. You’ve probably learned how to write a lot by now with your ass glued to the chair. Feel better! Ass gluing isn’t good for you right now.
PhD thesis! 😅
Gluing my ass to the chair won’t be sufficient. I think I have some form of computer distraction addiction or undiagnosed ADHD, because when I am sitting at the computer I find it really hard to do what I need to do. I am able to find a universe of distractions by slightly moving my fingers, and I have an inordinate ability to psychologically (not rationally!!!) justify it as being somewhat useful. The only thing that saves me is that I can be very efficient when I do focus, but this has become more difficult as the complexity of the work increases, and so many different figures, tables, and concepts have to coalesce together to tell a story that I genuinely believe…
I would probably have a better chance trying to write with pencil and paper in an isolated island than with LaTeX in my computer…
If it’s any consolation, I glued my ass to the chair and wrote the PhD thesis, and even got tenure in academia. I quit my job after being tenured and promoted. So it’s all good. It’s nice, though, to finish the fucker. The best way is gluing the ass to the chair. I can attest. Get well soon!
Thanks! It is some consolation. 🫂
I’m glad, because that’s the pressure that’s on you, no doubt, in finishing this dissertation. Life is funny. Your whole self worth is not this. It’s a transactional relationship. Your committee is hopeful, so you should be. Get the shit done and get on with your life, which has many surprises in store for you, don’t I know? You’re definitely worthy. Nobody flunks the dissertation stage, so just write the thing. You’ll be fine. Trust me, if your life is anything like mine, there is a life beyond the dissertation that is far more challenging and will wipe the glue right off your ass.
I would probably have a better chance trying to write with pencil and paper in an isolated island than with LaTeX in my computer
As a fellow PhD student that’s a mood lol
Overleaf intimidates me
oh no :( i hope you get better soon, that sounds terrible to deal with!
Thanks! I’m at 90% now :) Things that affect the nerves are scary, but the doctor helped calm my fears as symptoms were consistent with a not-too-serious sinus infection.
This Saturday marks the annual get together for my mother’s side of the family, always held at my grandparent’s old house, which happens to be in the next town over from where my wife and I live (everybody else travels for hours). It’s always nice but stressful at the same time, with ~20 additional people who each have expectations of you. This week is all about making it look like we don’t have a million irons in the fire.
Sounds intense, hope you get some time to unwind afterwards
Lots of fires at work but otherwise deece, thanks for asking!
My sourdough is being lame but my fermented goods are amazing.
Going camping for a friend’s bday Thursday through Saturday in Malibu Creek State Park! Verrrrry excited as I’ve been wanting to go camping so bad, it’s been a few years since I’ve gone and it’s such a crucial reset for me. I think it has to do with growing up and camping a lot. Lots of memories to rekindle, lots of moments for reflection and processing. Anyways, hope you all have a great weekend!
Hope you have a great time!
I’m from the UK so forgive the ignorance, but I thought Malibu was mostly beach?
Not a huge fan of camping personally but I LOVE a campfire and looking up at the stars. So peaceful
OMG. I love Malibu. I guess it isn’t Malibu Creek, but whatever. I’d totally go camping in Malibu.
Taking as many naps as possible before going back to university.
I’ll have to go back soon and I have mixed feelings about it. I am excited, I’m just also doing my best not to let my worries get to me.
This weekend I gotta plan my goals for this year. I’m contemplating studying abroad, getting an internship, or both. I’ll also be hanging out with my siblings before I leave. And packing.
I’m going back part time in the evenings myself in September, I feel you! Though likely lots older, lol.
Is it normal to go back to uni that early where you are? In the UK students don’t go back until October time. I find the differences so interesting.
Usually it’s late August/early September for me. I’m going back early because I got into a program to help mentor the first years. Basically they get to start a week earlier to get accustomed to uni and I get to start a week before they do for my in-person training.
I’ma be real, it’s a mixed bag. A lot of things have gone drastically wrong, even one going so far as to make me unable to walk. Yet I’ve had like two things that shocked me and made life slightly more tolerable.
Mostly I just want a hug. Was my birthday a couple days ago and I realized it’d been 13 years since I’ve had a hug. Broke me a little.
Virtual hugs incoming!! I can’t ingraine how difficult that is for you :/
