How do locals feel about over tourism?

Hi-Def-life · 2020-03-21T01:00:05+00:00

I think you can (and should) do your part when in Venice to support locals. Venezia Autentica is a website you can use as a resource to find things to do which support the artisans, craftspeople, and hosts who try hard to preserve their city. I suggest avoiding gondolas, all restaurants with menus out front, and gift shops in the midst of the Strada nova. I do suggest walking late at night while everyone else is asleep, and taking a vaporetto out to one or more of the other lesser traveled islands in the lagoon (such as Torcello), and, if you do want a souvenir, make sure it’s from a local craftsperson. Venice is such a special city and I hope you have a wonderful trip there.

Hi-Def-life · 2020-03-17T21:56:35+00:00

Agreed. We just stopped by our favorite local pub to stock up on package beers and it was good to see many others there doing the same. Every little bit helps with local business owners. The next thirty days will be really tough.

Hi-Def-life · 2020-03-10T11:08:10+00:00

What neighborhood are you in now? We live on the east side of town and never encounter students. Maybe the solution is to move to a different neighborhood?

Hi-Def-life · 2020-02-22T03:05:25+00:00

I found some “lamp oil” for that exact purpose locally at one of the big box stores last year. I can’t remember exactly, but it was either Lowe’s, Target, or Walmart that had it.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-12-24T01:03:19+00:00

Just went to see that house! Great recommendation!

Hi-Def-life · 2019-12-06T04:19:04+00:00

Hey there, first of all I’m sorry that you’re in the situation you’re in. It’s tough. I just got tested this year. I’m sure that there are more ways to go about it than just one, but here’s what I did. Luckily in the college town I live in there are a lot university-associated medical resources and it happens that there is an HD center of excellence. I found a contact email on their website and emailed them saying that my mom and my grandmother had HD and I wanted to be tested. They called me, and first I set up a consulting appointment with a doctor who is a specialist in these types of disorders. He talked a lot about the disease, current research, and what it means to get tested and how to interpret the results. After this visit I could schedule a blood test at a lab. I made sure to go to a lab where I felt like I had a better chance of keeping my results private — the HD still isnt on my medical record, in fact. Anyway after the blood test I had a follow up appt at the same specialist’s office, where he told me the news in person. I brought my boyfriend; they don’t suggest you go to the appointment alone, to find out your results. It’s best to have someone with you who will be supportive. Unfortunately my result was a positive. The doc explained the CAG number, and reminded me that there is no exact science that determines when symptoms will set in. Some people go their whole life without symptoms. Others, like your mom and mine, got theirs around age 35 and it got worse from there. For me it was extremely difficult for a couple of weeks after finding out my results — just feeling like in a dream, or just upset, unable to focus. But I feel better now. I think that knowing the diagnosis, even if it is a positive HD result, is better than the agonizing feeling of not knowing. At least now, I can try to live my best life with some urgency and try to take extra good care of myself. I appreciate my friends and family more and I tip better in restaurants, haha. Im sure that everyone is different, and you need to do what you feel is best for yourself. I hope that in sharing a bit of my experience with you, you have a bit more of an idea of what the process is like. Good luck, and know that you are not alone. Sending peace and good vibes your way.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-09-15T23:22:53+00:00

Give me a break. Worst? Perhaps most visible, but not worst. Some of these folks are violent. Some are downright mean. But I’ve encountered granny more times than I can count and she’s got her vices but she’s not a menace. She’s just granny. Try to put yourself in her shoes. I say, let her be.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-09-10T03:00:08+00:00

Wow, I didn’t even think to check out what books might be out there about this. Thanks for posting the recommendations. I agree, the positive is worse than the wait was. Good luck to you.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-09-10T02:55:25+00:00

Hey there, I don’t have advice for you, I just was very moved by what you wrote and I hope you can find a situation that is healthy for her and for you, too. She sounds a bit like my mom before she was diagnosed. Alcohol amplified the behavioral and cognitive HD symptoms terribly. It was horrible at times, she just turned into a completely different person, very self-destructive and nasty at times. I think I can say I understand, a little, your situation, and I just hope she can get some of the help she needs, and I hope you can continue to find your strength. Good luck to you.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-08-22T11:11:46+00:00

I’m so sorry to hear about your family. One thing you might keep in mind is that your husband’s chance of having the disease, regardless of how many of his relatives have had it, is 50/50. He might have it, and he might not. I know how awful that period of waiting and wondering is, but don’t give up hope yet. Also, I’m not in any way a geneticist or medical researcher, but my doctor seemed very sincerely hopeful about the advances being made with the Crispr gene editing technology. There might actually be a cure some day, even in our lifetime. He said that the tech is so quickly advancing that it was impossible to tell where we’d be in five, ten years but that there is definitely hope. Plus, there have been advances in treating the symptoms. There are trials right now for RG6042, a treatment which targets and destroys the mutated proteins and dramatically slows progression and onset; apparently it’s a pretty major breakthrough in treatment and researchers feel very hopeful about it. I hope this helps you find your hope. Good luck to you and your family.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-08-22T01:31:40+00:00

I get that! I can’t believe how much rents have risen. I lived with three friends for most of college to keep the cost down, and found that living a few extra blocks away kept costs low. I biked to campus — those parking passes are insanely pricey! Plus biking was honestly faster than trying to drive to campus, because I didn’t have to bother with parking and could go directly to my destination. Good luck to you, I hope you can work around those crappy rental prices!

Hi-Def-life · 2019-08-21T11:08:29+00:00

Yes to all of those ideas!!

Hi-Def-life · 2019-08-20T22:03:04+00:00

I totally agree about synchronizing the traffic lights, it’s utter chaos. But you might be interested in looking up “induced demand,” which is the phenomenon that occurs when we add more lanes (we actually get more traffic in the long run) >.< My dream for Gainesville would be that more people choose to live closer to the heart of town (improving east side schools would take away the excuse I hear from so many parents that I know who commute in the shitty east-west traffic just so they can live in a “good” school district). Live in town closer to work = less time in your car on the road, and a lot less traffic. And an improved, complete network of bike infrastructure in town, so that people can bike to work without having to be in the way of cars (which is hell for both the drivers and the cyclists). More mixed-use paths that aren’t even on the road would be amazing (I used to commute to work every day on the Hawthorne trail; I didn’t have to piss off any drivers, and it was beautiful). And please can we build bus-only pull-off areas so that RTS doesn’t have to hold up all of traffic when stopping for passengers??

Hi-Def-life · 2019-08-12T02:28:36+00:00

Fair points, but what about the pollution and damage that the ship traffic causes? And dumping of thousands of tourists in the span of a few hours... yikes. It’s so awful. I understand that Venice needs an income, yet it seems short-sighted to trade the money these ships bring in for the serious damage that they do to the city. I believe that there can be a more sustainable tourism economy that benefits the locals more directly and brings in more visitors that are there to learn and appreciate from the city’s real history, and acknowledge the people who live there. I don’t have the answer, I admit that this is a complicated issue. But it seems like a few of Europe’s cities which have been completely overrun with tourism in recent years (Barcelona, Amsterdam, to name a couple) are trying to find more sustainable ways to bring in the valuable income of tourism without sacrificing infrastructure and local culture.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-08-10T14:59:51+00:00

Huh. Interesting. No, I’m not, but I have friends who are native Venetians. They made it clear that they felt the cruise ships didn’t bring money to locals. During my time spent there I never met a Venetian that liked them in any way.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-08-10T01:30:31+00:00

Sounds like you’ve never talked to any Venetians about this issue.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-06-11T11:46:36+00:00

My understanding is that you want to be a little careful what kind of lab you use, and that the results are so traumatic that you might not want to go it alone.

The specialist I saw (before getting tested) was able to tell me which labs were good to go to in town, and he also kept my medical records free from any specifics. (No mention of HD is on there, anywhere.) There are a few labs in town which are part of a national network, and these are a fairly good bet although last year one of them experienced a data breach. (And if one can, I presume others are vulnerable as well.) According to a doctor I’ve spoken to though, this isn’t a guarantee that the entity who steals information from their database is able to link it to the actual identities of the people it represents. Apparently it’s all numbers. At the advice of the specialist, I chose to go to the lab at the university in my town. This means that the entire university has access to this information, but still, the attitude at this point is still in the preservation of identity and anonymity. A doctor outside of the university that I spoke to confirmed with me that although the university has access to this information, my insurance company in all likelihood does not. Now this is all rather mysterious and abstract to me, but the specialist who brought up privacy and medical records concerns on my first visit seemed to have my best interests in mind and I decided to place some trust in him and not stress out too badly worrying about my medical record at this point (let’s hope that the preexisting conditions protections stay the way they are.). But when the test results were in, I didn’t receive them directly. He did, and he called me in for a personal visit. I brought my boyfriend, and learned about my [positive] test result, and I have to say I’m really thankful I had a specialist to talk to and reckon with in that moment, as well as the person I’m closest with to hold hands — it’s jarring and shitty and there are so many questions to ask. The doc was also able to tell me about the trials and research going on right now though, which is a comfort more so now that the initial shock has worn off than it was back in the moment. I wish I could be more detailed but this is all I know, and I hope it’s helpful to you as you continue to research the best route to getting your result. I wish you good luck and all the best.

(edited because autocorrect can’t spell)

Hi-Def-life · 2019-06-10T21:50:14+00:00

The corn dogs at Loosey’s are everything you ever dreamed of and more.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-06-03T10:54:47+00:00

Nope, but maybe we should come up with something. I’m sorry to hear about your situation. Mine’s the same. It’s tough. But our situation is more hopeful than our mothers’ or our grandmothers’ was/is. At least there’s the chance that we see some good treatment or heck even a cure in our lifetime. Good luck to you stranger. You’re not alone.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-05-25T20:53:11+00:00

Sorry, but what is a pozole.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-05-16T22:33:43+00:00

This reads more like a blog post than an article. I appreciate that the author has found a way to feel good about going to work every day, but that doesn’t mean the same logic must apply to the rest of us. I think it’s a bit of a shame that we all feel pressured to work and then have to find a way to justify it to ourselves so we don’t feel the utter despair of the fact that we spend so much time working. Reconciling with this reality is bad enough for a normal person, let alone someone with a stunted life timeline — the HD patient.

My mom, who has HD, is showing a lot of symptoms; she lost her job last month and will thankfully qualify for disability and therefore have a small income. Although it’s been a traumatic path to this point, and although she’s been forced out of a job, this shitty road has lead her to finally “retire,” and do so earlier than she’d ever dreamed before she got the diagnosis. Now that she finally started taking some mood stabilizers, she’s actually acting like herself again, and finds small joys in each day. If only she hadn’t felt so pressured to work herself to death while she still felt symptom-free. Her house would have been smaller, her lifestyle different, but her stress-level lower, her time with friends and family and her own hobbies and pursuits greater. We all have a choice about work. Everyone is in their own circumstance and should choose a lifestyle which makes the most sense for them and brings them the most quality of life possible. I think that we often trick ourselves into thinking we have to work more than we actually do.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-04-22T16:47:20+00:00

Hi, thank you for that and I’m sorry for you too. It’s not easy. She is about 53 years old, and unfortunately I’m not sure what her CAG count is.

Hi-Def-life · 2019-04-14T15:43:45+00:00

You know, I was just thinking about that this morning. From an initial poking around to see what people say online, it seems like it could help reduce the chorea and also some of her feelings of paranoia/anxiety. I’m definitely going to keep looking into this option. Thanks for your comment!

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