• PeelerSheila @aussie.zone
    10·
    2 days ago

    Today was our day of spending time with kids in a civil manner, so we went to Moonee Ponds and had lunch, then had icecream. Miniest couldn’t fit all hers in so I was walking around at one point with a double scoop icecream in each hand lol 🤰🏼 Bought a couple of t-shirts, a Minecraft movie one of Garett Garrison and one of Lisa Simpson in her “I am the Lizard Queen” scene. Elder wants a skateboard 😳 Then I got home and Miniest reminded me of my promise to bake a cake with her today 🫩 so I found a simple chocolate cake recipe, we made that and it worked pretty well. In all it was a most pleasant Sunday.

  • tombruzzo@aussie.zone
    10·
    2 days ago

    Got cash out from Coles today and was given two hundreds instead of two fifties. Thank you Mr Coles, and I never want to move to a cashless society now

  • Gibsonhasafluffybutt@aussie.zoneEnglish
    9·
    2 days ago

    The shoulder is better.

    Hooray. Hooooo fucking raaaaaaay.

    I credit Gibson

    My friends sent me a video of them last night and it was really fucking touching. They did something really sweet and it put a huge smile on my face ❤️

  • underwatermagpies@aussie.zone
    7·
    2 days ago

    For anyone living in the past like me- a reminder that MS Publisher goes away after tomorrow, export those files.

    I use it for two files that are updated once a year. I’ll have to finally move them to Canva I reckon, and mess around with all the formatting.

    • Taleya@aussie.zoneEnglish
      2·
      2 days ago

      I have a copy from the ol’ physical media days, good luck tying to take that away

    • tombruzzo@aussie.zone
      2·
      2 days ago

      Inkscape might work too as a local FOSS alternative. It saves everything as SVG so files are super transportable and one of the guys that works on it wears a ska style bouler hat and does regular YouTube updates on development

  • just_kitten@aussie.zone
    5·
    2 days ago

    Monstrous load of washing all dried, woollens still drying in the living room under the heater and it feels a bit like a sauna here after having done a quick vac. And with beans boiling on the stove. Gonna make another batch of my rootin’ tootin’ soup with swede, parsnip, carrot, potat (with celery and onion) and kidney beans… tomorrow night, I think. For tonight I’ll just cook the beans that have been soaking all day. I can’t be fucked doing any cleaning. Still need to make the bed which is something I loathe so much I feel like I need to vent about it here every time.

    I do need to make an inventory of all the food to start using up in the pantry. Still more kidney beans, a heap of black eyed beans, urad dal (whole without skin, and split with skin), toor dal, chana dal, masoor dal… dried tvp mince, dried shiitake mushrooms, couscous, risoni, heaps of rice… no takeaway lunches at work for the month of July, I’ve got plenty to cook and use up.

  • Duenan@aussie.zone
    11·
    2 days ago

    Just keeping to myself today.

    It’s going to be a tough 3 weeks until I can get my tax return back and that’s hinging on there actually being money to come back.

    I need to brainstorm some cheap meals to save on money.

    I also got into a massive fight last night with someone and I think my trust in them have broken as well but it’s making me feel really off today and I feel really down today.

    • underwatermagpies@aussie.zone
      7·
      2 days ago

      I made a delicious soup yesterday. I roasted a butternut pumpkin, two sweet potatoes, some garlic, and half a dozen carrots for half an hour at 200C - all chopped up with some oil, salt and ground cumin. Then in a big pot, soften a diced onion in some oil, add a litre of stock, and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes. Add the vegies to the pot and blitz with a blender until smooth. Add a bit of cream if you fancy.

      Makes about 12 serves at around $1.50 per serve, and freezes well if you don’t want to eat it for every meal. And you could swap out whatever roast vegies you fancy.

    • melbaboutown@aussie.zone
      5·
      2 days ago

      I got ideas if you need them, let me know if you have any dislikes or allergies and I’ll see what I can do. Potatoes go far.

      Also please don’t hesitate to hit up food pantries or anything around, see if you’re eligible

  • useless_modern_god@aussie.zone
    11·
    2 days ago

    I did see the F1 movie yesterday. If you’re thinking about seeing it, It’s safe to say the film is best viewed on the biggest screen you can find.

    For fans of:

    F1 or any motorsport in general -

    Jerry Bruckheimer productions -

    Brad Pitt and his face-

    It’s a typical Bruckheimer fare with big needle drop soundtrack, quick camera editing, sarcastic quips during action scenes, and the montages.

    If you have seen Top Gun, Days of Thunder, or Gone in 60 Seconds, you get the idea. It’s big, it’s flashy, it’s two and half hours long and I will probably never watch it again.

    6.8/10 Pitt stops

  • just_kitten@aussie.zone
    6·
    2 days ago

    Unintentionally doing a “winter clean” of the house in pieces - so many loads of laundry: clothes, woollens, bed sheets, couch stuff, oodie on a long and warm pet hair removal cycle… Also aired the bedroom and naked bed for a few hours with that patchy afternoon sun; hasn’t been done in weeks.

    Gonna do a big round of vacuuming and maybe even mopping too. Then maybe light some sage incense.

    Feels like I’ve been drawn to doing this by clearing out memories and energies associated with the last few months, although a little part of me is sad because I am also inadvertently erasing every trace of sox :c sorry lil’ kitty it’s not purrsonal.

    • imoldgreeeg@aussie.zone
      3·
      2 days ago

      Sox doesn’t go. Sox lives in the heart.

      And it’s so good to declutter stuff and get rid of those bad energies…💪🏻

      • just_kitten@aussie.zone
        1·
        2 days ago

        Indeed, she lives on in the part of me that squeezes a pillow at night wishing she was warmly snoozing at the foot of my bed, ears just visible if I lift my head… 💜

        Not in the decluttering stage just yet - but building up to it! I need to do the sums on putting my stuff in storage vs leaving it here and paying rent while I’m away etc.

  • Bottom_racer@aussie.zone
    14·
    2 days ago

    Big day today.

    Ol’ girl is going back home after her 3.5 week stay in hospital. Was only supposed to be 3-5 days.

    After seeing her everyday, all I can say is that she really shouldn’t be (not in my control). Seeing her last night shook me a bit. Basically she’s been refusing 1/2+ the food when there and also refusing supplements (like ensure, resource etc).

    Problem is after her head strike a year ago she had a TBI which has caused what they call non amnestic MCI which is a fancy way of saying impaired mind but memory still there. Problem is the only way to slow it down is food and excersise, both of which are not going to be easy.

    So taking off work for a bit heading over to p’s to see if this will work. I’m not fazed by doing most of the stuff for them (cooking / cleaning / washing etc), really doesn’t take much time. Ol’ boy will get a cleaner in probably soon.

    What I’m mainly worried about is that shift in personality over the last 3 weeks.

    For example last night she asked me to turn the light down because she wanted to watch TV. So I did. She said ‘that’s great’, goes around to the other side of the bed and snaps at me ‘why is it so dark in here!’. That is not her.

    I’m hoping getting some food in her after basically being on a hunger strike will ease that sort of thing up, but if it doesn’t then we’re in for a ride.

    Guess we’ll find out.

    Thank you all reading this stuff. Not exactly light and airy.

    • TheWitchofThornbury@aussie.zoneEnglish
      13·
      2 days ago

      Feels. You got this, for the moment. Look after yourself too.

      personal experience

      Hate to say this, but I think it’s time you and your Dad got together and worked out a strategy for further cognitive decline management. You just can’t give up work to do the basic care stuff - that’s a non-continuing proposition even though it works well to look at in the short term. I’m talking trigger points for when more care is needed, and strategies to cope. And what happens if your Dad or you gets sick etc. Really really need to be on the same page. Yes this will be embarrassing to discuss. And some of the options will sound pretty cold and clinical but need to be considered. There’s professional help available for counselling/discussing this sort of thing, and using that might help your Dad and rest of fam take this seriously enough to be useful. Hospitals/doctors/clinics have contact info - and you may need an official letter from your mum’s doctor to access it.

      I found myself doing what I thought would be short term care for my mum, and found out that the rest of my family thought I was doing it all so they didn’t have to, and this went on for months and months. This got old very very fast and I had to really put my foot down to come up with a more equitable arrangement. Some family members still haven’t forgiven me. One sibling’s spouse is still snarked that she was asked to participate (minimally) and that was more than 10 years ago. Eventually Mum had to go into full time residential care and she HATED it. But there was no other viable option that permitted the rest of the family to have some kind of a life.

      End of life can be very distressing to all when its long drawn out and there’s no possibility of major improvement and a return to full independence. Just saying.

      • Bottom_racer@aussie.zone
        4·
        2 days ago

        Thankyou so much for your personal experience. Really appreciate that advice. i think I’ll get the ball rolling on that fairly soon.

      • melbaboutown@aussie.zone
        3·
        2 days ago

        This.

        I was in a very similar position except it wasn’t in my wheelhouse to make alternative arrangements.

    • Eagle@aussie.zone
      12·
      2 days ago

      You are such a good egg. Healing takes time and a whole lot of resources, so having you there is going to give her the best chance of an effective recovery.

      Ensure and the like have an artificial taste that a lot of people can’t tolerate. There used to be a flavourless supplement, I’ll have a sticky beak and see if it’s still around. Edit: it’s called procal powder. Still around. Different company now through. There’s two main things; cook what she likes/feels like, and making sure every mouthful is as calorie dense as you can make it while she still likes it. You’re doing good work there, and it’s so so tough. We are all here as a resource and a safe venting place.

        • melbaboutown@aussie.zone
          4·
          2 days ago

          Agreed Ensure gets old very quickly and Fortisip is even more intensely sugary. Vom. One way is to make a cup of coffee as usual and pour in a swig of Ensure as if it were a coffee creamer. It dilutes it to a more bearable level. Decaf coffee with vanilla Ensure probably tastes a little bit like a fancy Starbucks coffee.

          Edit: They also do pudding/custard!

          spoiler

          You can heat milk in the microwave and add sugar (optional) and instant coffee for a ‘latte’ or use hot chocolate packets to get some fortified milk down. Sometimes this is easier than a meal and you can tailor it to her tastes. Hydration is probably a higher priority than food.

          Another option is nibbles. An open pack of biscuits next to her with a cup of tea. Perhaps even a lollipop or a cracker would be enough to stimulate her appetite and get her through any overly-hungry aversion. If she likes ginger perhaps try some ginger sweets like ginger ale, ginger bears, Gin Gins or Chimes. If it’s nausea there are dissolvable wafer tablets like Ondansetron that might help. Even some peppermint tea.

          Also is she just not hungry, is she forgetting to eat, is she feeling sick, is she fatigued or having motor issues so it’s not worth the effort, is she having trouble swallowing? Is the food and drink not sitting well?

          I don’t mean to bring up anything undignified but sometimes after bowel surgery there can be issues with things like post surgery gastroparesis.

          Also after a prolonged period of not eating or only liquids, beginning to eat again can be quite difficult and unpleasant. A period without eating (or being able to eat) in itself can cause atrophy of the digestive system and bring on gastroparesis. Cue effortful eating.

          Surely the hospital has a dietitian and a gastro that might get on top of this.

          Feeding tubes might be an option but are an incredible removal of autonomy and may be a lot of risk for the results. They’re not always recommended.

          Edit: Also as you get older, with cancer, or at end of life you can lose your appetite. I’m very sorry. I’m hoping your mum perks up a little and more support can be worked out smoothly.

    • StudSpud The Starchy@aussie.zoneEnglish
      10·
      2 days ago

      You are always welcome always to vent and just get it all out here!

      It isn’t light or airy, no, but it doesn’t have to be. This is what is happening in your life and to you, and it is worth talking to people you trust - even if it’s just this forum 💜 I get the pain of watching your mum deteriorate, even though my experiences cause was different, and it isn’t easy to look after them. The chores are easy, the mental energy and internal stress it takes to just be present and witness to it is draining. I’m so sorry you and your mum and dad are going through this right now, I hope your mum is able to settle down now she is back home and will accept food. Sending you all my love and good vibes, if I could give you some of my mental energy I would do that too 💜💜💜

      • Bottom_racer@aussie.zone
        5·
        2 days ago

        Big thanks.

        I think the mental energy and stress will slowly catch up. Guess we’ll see if I’m cut out for this (I have my doubts eek).

    • PeelerSheila @aussie.zone
      8·
      2 days ago

      I hope things improve for her. Maybe now she’s going home her eating will improve? My mum mostly hated hospital food and ate better when I was cooking. It’s a hard time you’re going through and we’re always here when you need to vent 🫂

    • melbaboutown@aussie.zone
      8·
      2 days ago

      I’m sorry to hear :(

      I wonder if some kind of home support package might come in a bit sooner. But also I know there are many things not in your control and post-release care isn’t always great

      • Bottom_racer@aussie.zone
        5·
        2 days ago

        Thankyou. Definitely looking at home support packages. Definitely looking at the speech path, physio and OT stuff.

        • melbaboutown@aussie.zone
          6·
          2 days ago

          Also I hope I’m not overstepping but I would really suggest some supports for you. Not kidding.

          Caregiving (which is what you’re doing) can be incredibly difficult and it can have a severe lasting effect on your physical and mental health.

          Particularly for informal care which doesn’t have built in protections, supports, or breaks for the person doing the care. Particularly if it’s someone you’re close to. Particularly if everyone else is stepping back and putting the onus on you to manage everything.

          Don’t do this alone.

          • Bottom_racer@aussie.zone
            2·
            2 days ago

            Definitely not overstepping. Reaaly thankful for the advice. Honestly atm I’m open to all of it and really appreciative of everyone here and their thoughts.

  • LowExperience2368@aussie.zone
    6·
    2 days ago

    I have a beautiful friend who, after I asked her how she finds her music, has been sending me a song nearly everyday and tells me how she found it. I don’t like every song she sends but the thoughtfulness just blows me away.

    Anyway, I am considering making a giant playlist of the songs, probably at least 300 of them, because she might like that. But that would mean exporting our text thread with thousands of messages and links, and going through it to find all the Spotify and YouTube links she sent. Maybe there is a faster way?

    • tombruzzo@aussie.zone
      3·
      2 days ago

      YouTube has a history page. If you don’t watch too much other stuff you’ll be able to sort through there pretty quickly. Maybe even going to YouTube history might just do music. Spotify should have history as well but I don’t use it so I’m not sure.

      • LowExperience2368@aussie.zone
        3·
        2 days ago

        Most of the links are Spotify and YouTube Shorts have replaced my mass short-form content consumption on other platforms. So that may take a while. I’ll go to the history and see if I can extract some of the music. Thanks for the suggestion!

  • Gibsonhasafluffybutt@aussie.zoneEnglish
    7·
    2 days ago

    I’m getting tired of these wasted weekends where I’m laid up trying desperately to either deal with a migraine or avoid causing one.

    Work gets the best of me. And I’m left doing nothing on the weekend.

    Can’t visit my friends.

    Can’t play guitar or drums because that causes a flair up. It’s literally all I want to do.

    I fucking hate this.

    Sorry for the rant.

    Edit: made a physio appointment for tomorrow morning. Told my manager. I’m going to play guitar and I don’t give a fuck. Physio can fix it if it goes bad.

    • underwatermagpies@aussie.zone
      7·
      2 days ago

      Have you looked into ‘weekend migraines’? It can be the change in routine or change in stress levels that’s the trigger. There might be something you can identify and change.

    • SaneMartigan@aussie.zone
      7·
      2 days ago

      I used to get a few myotherapy clients with migraine issues. I helped more than I didn’t by working on their necks. Maybe see a manual therapist for some neck work?

      • Gibsonhasafluffybutt@aussie.zoneEnglish
        3·
        2 days ago

        I see a sports physio when it flares up and I can’t get rid of it myself.

        Problem is they aren’t open weekends, and what happens is I’ll be fine Friday night and then Saturday morning my shoulder hitches up and pitches forward. Thats the trigger

  • PeelerSheila @aussie.zone
    11·
    2 days ago

    Hanging on to every moment I can stay in bed before I am summonsed by the family lol. But also the desire for coffee. And my favourite breakfast at the moment: very grainy bread toast with seedy peanut butter on it and sprinkled with extra seedy trail mix type stuff. Perhaps I am birb?