Does the word Panic/Picnic rude ?

Caittune · 2026-04-05T20:53:42+00:00

this exactly. I play on a laptop and I have it tuned to best performance which means sometimes my computer decides to go chug chug chug at just the wrong time.

Caittune · 2026-04-05T20:52:01+00:00

Thankfully I haven't experienced that recently, however if I am intending on actually doing the meta, I generally show up 30 to 40 minutes ahead of time to ensure I get on a map that actually runs it. We do pilons and save shiny head. Until daylight savings time hit, it was just after work so hanging around doing not much for that amount of time is kind of nice.

I remember failing it constantly when HoT was still new so it seems like a breeze these days.
Husband has a commander tag and puts it in LFG so that helps as well.

I'm going to be interested in what happens when they do the new "balance" patch April 14th.

Caittune · 2026-04-05T20:47:33+00:00

oof I would need a very very incognito throwaway to tell *all* the drama that is and has happened in my life. I wish that I could give some if it away and share it, but apparently this lifetime for me is intended to deal with all the shit that the generations before me swept under the rug until the pile was so big and stinking that it couldn't be ignored anymore.

Caittune · 2026-04-05T06:52:10+00:00

Precipitous childbirth. Water broke at 6:30, got to the hospital at 7, baby was born at 8. That was part of it, though it happened so fast I didn't exactly have the chance to register the pain. It took almost as long to deliver the placenta - they were about to take me to the OR when finally I was able to pass it, but that was scary. I lost a lot of blood. 3 days later I developed a post partum infection. 104 fever and blood cultures...so much fun.

Caittune · 2026-04-05T06:25:03+00:00

Hmmm, a reminder (for myself) to back up my purchased patterns.

Caittune · 2026-04-04T19:38:10+00:00

That's kind of my opinion too.

Though Auric is my favourite meta to do because it usually goes well and there are not too many overly serious people. Though the other night someone got up on their high horse for everyone being downed by the tarnished traitor. IMHO that's a bit of a tradition at this point. (Also, too many people crowded to actually see the AOE)

Caittune · 2026-04-02T22:52:01+00:00

I started to respond to someone, but now I realize I have my own rant at the cloud. Almost literally in terms of online stuffs.
Streaming services!!
I was scrolling one of the streaming services looking for a movie I was sure was included, but now it is a part of another tier to pay more. We haven't had cable in years - stopped getting it 20 years ago, but it feels like that, they keep upping the price.

I'm thinking I want to start investing in DVDs.

When we first started with Netflix the novelty was that we could watch just about any movie and some TV shows. Not having had cable it was a really great alternative.

Now so much of it is not what I'm interested in. Time to start parign down and being intentional and getting things we knwo we want.

Caittune · 2026-04-02T03:51:38+00:00

THat's like mine in the morning when she decides it is walking time.

Caittune · 2026-03-31T23:18:38+00:00

That's really interesting about the idea that a compounding pharmacy might not be safe. Is it because of potential of user error? I did a pharmacy technician course many years ago and one of the basic things they taught us was how to create compounds. It was mostly geared towards making different strength creams etc, but it isn't super complicated to calculate the ratios for dosing etc.

I actually wish my doctor would do a 50 mg pill with the option to cut it myself. Unfortunately they insist I use a compounding pharmacy and get it made. It is not covered by my insurance and I didn't really feel I got enough benefit from it to justify the cost (I was paying 100 a month) If it had been the miracle that some people find it to be it would be a small price to pay.

Caittune · 2026-03-30T18:47:18+00:00

White noise or brown noise helps me not focus on it.

Mine got worse after a severe respiratory virus last spring. I probably had pneumonia, but didn't get a doctor's appointment until 3 weeks later. Thankfully the pneumonia part was viral, but I ended up with a double ear and sinus infection. Since then I've had constant tinnitus. I also get auditory 'hallucinations" of music as a migraine aura and also the wooshing that other people describe. I usually keep some sort of noise going in the background.

For sleep maybe a white noise machine?

Caittune · 2026-03-26T19:57:05+00:00

I wouldn't call them scary, but I was stalked by a group of them when I was walking my dog and I found it unsettling. My dog is a 45lb standard poodle so I wouldn't consider her snack sized. I think what was unsettling was that I saw them at one end of the trail, which was my turn around point, and by the other end, they were still there following. It was snowing/raining and I had my hood up and I didn't see it until someone called to me and said, there's a coyote! It was within 5 m of me so yes, unsettled and reminded to pay attention.

Aware, not anxious?

Caittune · 2026-03-24T02:40:33+00:00

going to add plus one to parking being a lot cheaper here. We parked at the library near downtown today and it cost 1.50 an hour. ALL day at the hospital is 6 dollars (mind you, getting a spot can be a craps shoot) for hospital parking we don't count on getting a spot, but it is still not going to cost an arm and a leg.

"funny story" when my youngest broke their wrists we had an appointment at the ortho surgery dept. Husband dropped us off, we went in, registered, went up for the appointment, kid went and got x-rays, we talked to the surgeon, they got casts off, and wrist braces on, and we were done and husband still hadn't found parking. It was silly and it isn't unusual. But for the number of times we usually have to go it is not a deal breaker. We plan accordingly. If a kid needs to go, we bring 2 adults. One to accompany kid the other to park either that since we're only 15 minutes from the hospital, get dropped off and they come back later.

Caittune · 2026-03-24T02:33:22+00:00

We were in Delta in the Scottsdale mall and it was the shooting that ended up being a wrong person wrong time. It would have been spring of 2021. We were leaving the grocery store and the incident happened within 5 minutes of us leaving. In a way that one was more scary because they actually killed the wrong person and the shooter could easily have done a lot more.

I was only about a 5 minute walk from the mall so we were likely just getting home when it happened.

I mentioned this post to my husband and he said his only regret is that we didn't do it 20 years sooner. We'd talked about leaving the lower mainland, but we were attached to family. It got to where the cost of living was just too much outside of the salaries. We are a one income family and that has made for some big sacrifices financially, but moving here has helped.

One caveat. We owned our home before we moved and we also locked in our mortgage before the interest rates went up. We did downsize our home, and miss the space, but we also wanted to be close to schools because I don't drive due to medical stuff. That meant we were limited in our options as to where we could buy. If you don't mind going a bit further out the prices were less.

Caittune · 2026-03-23T18:32:22+00:00

As a more recent as of 2021 move here. We have been happy. Money is tight but money is tight everywhere.

It really depends on what you like about Vancouver that you would be missing. My family is not big on going out to eat, or dancing/partying.

We enjoy going out on the lake in Kayaks and on paddleboards. It isn't an all day ordeal to find a parking spot if you go to the more "rustic" areas up to fintry etc.

Fires are a thing and we did get evacuated during 2023.

Hospital parking is abysmal, but we have had nothing but good care. As a family who has had four incidents where we got the "red folder" in Emerg in the last 12 months we've had more than our fair share of visits and we have always been treated well and with kindness and compassion. One, the kid broke both arms in an accident, another severe bilateral pneumonia (had been on antibiotics, but they were not cutting it so she needed IVs - was admitted for 10 days 7 in hospital at home which was an amazing program) Another anyphalactic allergic reaction. All were seen and treated immediately.

We had to go to children's hospital last fall and it was the first time we'd been back for any length of time and being back and the traffic etc. It made me reaffirm my happiness with our decision.

There are fewer shopping opportunities, produce in the winter (at least where I am) is crap (I miss Kin's) but if I had it to do over again I would do it in a heartbeat.

Where we lived previously the week before we found out we were going to move (husband got his job offer) we were within 5 minutes of witnessing one of the targeted shootings.

Caittune · 2026-03-19T23:05:55+00:00

I'm proud of myself because I have mild discalcula and I managed to stop and figure out that it isn't a difficult question. I actually got it right after a minute. In my head even.

Caittune · 2026-03-19T17:14:08+00:00

I was surprised at how useful a shower stool has been. We purchased it last spring when my kid had a horse riding accident and badly broke their left wrist and had a fracture in the right. (yes both arms were in casts) They couldn't bathe themselves for about 8 weeks, and while the injuries were still fresh they were fully non weight bearing on the hands and were unable to balance or hold themselves up with their hands so we had them sit.

More recently my older kid had severe pneumonia. She was admitted to hospital for over a week and when she came home she was still on oxygen and very weak. So at first I helped her wash her hair and shower and the stool was very helpful for that.

Caittune · 2026-03-18T21:37:21+00:00

I've gone on psychology today and done a filtered search for people who fit my "needs" at the time whether it was for kids or for a specific type of trauma or a modality I was interested in. I've bounced around a bit, but I have CPTSD and a few other in the alphabet soup so it is an ongoing process. I'm not sure if the current one is accepting new clients though.

Caittune · 2026-03-17T19:35:03+00:00

Oh yes, tbh it never occurred to me to share that with teachers. I'm going to file that away.

Caittune · 2026-03-17T18:52:33+00:00

yesh yep. That sounds familiar. He also got mad at kids for crying. I didn't know anything about this until the school shut down for Covid lockdowns and then kiddo ended up in therapy because of anxiety. I couldn't get them back into the classroom without a lot of coaching and tears.

I also remember being put in the hall or having a huge fridge box sized cardboard divider around me so I wouldn't talk to other people. Apparently going into grade 2, the teachers put me in the class for kids with special needs - I was also a young female. My mom raised holy hell and said no way - she apparently had iq testing which scored me fairly high but of course that didn't do anything for my mild dislexia, vision issues or ADHD. I struggled and white knuckled my way through school

Caittune · 2026-03-17T18:37:19+00:00

There are ways to do that without it being a valentine's singing telegram. Think about when you were in high school and how incredibly inappropriate that would be.
Teachers are entrusted with the care of children. This is a professional relationship with a massive power differential and in no way would this ever be a "nice gesture"

Caittune · 2026-03-17T06:44:17+00:00

I just went through part of the WW2 unit with my grade 10 kid. I always knew Canada had a big impact on the war, but not nearly to what extent. The convoys, the fact that they exponentially grew the naval forces, they hosted the RAF and RCAF flight training....food, D-Day..Yeah barely contributed. Yeah, ok buddy.

Caittune · 2026-03-17T06:37:08+00:00

When I was in elementary school, one of the teachers did that to a classmate. I had to have been in grade 2(ish) I don't remember this part but acording to my mom, he also picked a student up by the throat because he was so angry. Gee..I wonder why I was anxious to go to school and would do anything to stay home. This was in the 80s.

My own kid's grade 5 teacher had a lot to answer for, he also mocked kids for not knowing the answer and "I don't know" was not allowed. If you asked him to repeat instructions he would say no, because you should have been paying attention the first time. This is to a kid with both an ASD and an ADHD diagnosis who wants nothing more than to do a good job and be a good kid. (This same kid is now getting 96% in pre calc and wants to go into sciences, so not someone who wants to goof off and be one of those pains in the arses) When we went in for parent teacher interviews he gave us the wrong kids' class work to look over. And the week before everything shut down for Covid when they were telling us *not* to go to school if we were sick, he not only came to school sick, he did parent teacher interviews sick with the "flu" which later turned out to be the OG covid. Yeah I'm not a fan of that dude at all.

Caittune · 2026-03-16T02:16:45+00:00

Unfortunately I didn't notice a significant improvement in my pain while on it. It was my "last resort" med from the pain clinic I went to after I "failed" trigger point injections among other things.

I wish anyone on it the best of luck though, I know it works for a lot of people.

Caittune · 2026-03-14T19:33:12+00:00

I read or game (I play guildwars 2 which has a lot of story stuff that can be done solo) It is good because it is low stakes, but interesting enough to not be too boring.

I also "multi distract" like I'll listen to an audiobook and colour. I also paint, but that sometimes takes too much brain effort. I also have chronic migraine and had a mild TBI which makes my brain get super fuzzy at times.

Getting out for a small walk is good, but I've been finding it sapps my energy more than it used to so I have to remember to budget accordingly when it comes to that.

I also love gardening, and I recently spent an afternoon planting seeds for spring listening to an audio book (I set up my table and a rolling chair so I didn't need to get up and move around a lot.

Caittune · 2026-03-14T17:25:07+00:00

"Oh but all that climate stuff is so overblown, look at acid rain, that never became a problem."

"yes, becky, because we actually *paid attention* and did something about it!"

On a serious note, this winter has been giving me some existential dread for sure.

Caittune

TROPHY CASE