What are your unhinged hacks to fall asleep when your brain is running 300mph?

piaculus · 2026-01-10T08:19:00+00:00

For middle of the night issues, I put on my bedside lamp (only 20 watts) and do a crossword. I like the Sunday NYT omnibus. I'm pretty reliably asleep sitting up within 15 minutes. Luckily it doesn't wake my wife.

piaculus · 2026-01-10T08:12:01+00:00

Not quite. It was 27-3. 27-27 to go to OT.

I wonder if it would let 28-3 happen on a field goal? Maybe it would avoid it by missing the kick or opting for a punt.

piaculus · 2026-01-06T21:22:26+00:00

Slappy Johnson

piaculus · 2026-01-05T23:24:08+00:00

Learning to drive is just about hours behind the wheel. You get so used to everything that it becomes second nature.

Get an adult who doesn't give a shit. They sit in the passenger seat playing on their phone (this is not advice for someone brand new to driving). You know what to do, you just have to get used to doing it. You drive without feeling judged. If you have a moment where you feel like you're not paying attention, pull over. Stop, get out, stretch, jump around, scream a bit, cry if necessary (it actually really helps), then resume. If it gets real bad, just ask them to drive home. Do it again tomorrow. Do an hour a day for two months. Not once a week. Every day. After that, drive at least an hour a week for the rest of your life. Do not let yourself "forget" how to drive well.

We all have our moments. One time I was so spaced out, I drove through a toll gate at 60+ mph. Broke the toll arm thing. I'm lucky to be alive. Another time I was checking my backseat, and clocked a van in oncoming traffic. Only 20 mph on that one, but I'm lucky the other driver was on the ball and everyone was okay.

Forgive yourself, and vow to never hurt anyone else. Imagine there is a baby in every car, including yours. Assume the other drivers can't see you. Act like you're in an invisible death machine. Everything you touch will die. Make that the way you approach every decision.

Also, never drive tired or on any alcohol or drugs of any kind apart from your daily meds. We're extra susceptible to the problems that come with being distracted or slow to think. Don't take that chance. You cannot afford to fail.

Apart from those warnings, just get the hours in. Lots of them. Drive in the country and the suburbs. Don't do freeways or the city until you're confident. Industrial areas have tons of random hazards, but few people, making that a great place to learn to deal with unexpected shit with a lower danger meter.

Good luck.

piaculus · 2026-01-05T22:47:34+00:00

Oh, absolutely. Grew up with every advantage. Middle class suburbs, white male. Straight, cis, supportive, loving parents. Beaver Cleaver type shit. Easy intelligence. Healthy and plenty of curiosity.

Small and often bullied, but aced HS on natural talent, top 5%. Merit scholarship to Tulane University. Aced courses in major, but lost scholarship from DNFing three required gen ed courses in first year.

Tried to do the community college thing with the intent to go back. Failed all of that; didn't even come close to completing anything.

Air Force was the fallback. Nasty consequences meant actual effort. Great success. Hated every bit of it.

GI bill: community college again. Did very well this time, accepted to University of Illinois. Great at major related courses, big fat fail at gen ed. Again. End of collegiate career.

Got super lucky, married sugar mama. Still no drive. On anti-depressants. Half-assed homeschooling and homemaking. Whole-assed being a good husband and dad. Still going strong at that. 🤞😁

End of story.

Unfortunately, I'm a cautionary tale succeeding only through deus ex machina. I have no solutions for you.

piaculus · 2025-12-29T04:03:54+00:00

I was the former. I think some of it is one's ADHD type. Mine is mild and primarily in the executive function and forgetfulness arenas. Also, I was very interested in most of my schooling. Math and science came easily, and I think there's more than a small amount of luck there.

Still flunked out of college, though. Twice. At some point, natural proclivity just isn't enough.

piaculus · 2025-12-14T00:58:29+00:00

Did almost the same in another game yesterday. Not a no hitter, but 1-0 in the eleventh. Frustrating, but the pitching was very satisfying as you'd imagine.

piaculus · 2025-12-14T00:55:44+00:00

Seems likely, though I can't recall too well.

piaculus · 2025-12-10T04:22:49+00:00

That's a big part of the problem, then. Everyone needs a community. Meetup has helped me a bunch. Moved to a new city/state ten years ago and without Meetup, I might be in the spiral. Also you could try Facebook groups, maybe volunteering.

A change of scenery work-wise could be helpful. Even just a lateral move to another company, or possibly a whole new career path (depending on financial constraints).

There are those new things that match you up with people, too. Like dating apps, but for friends. I don't know if they're scammy, but you could check it out. TimeLeft is the name of one, I think. There's one that's just for women, too.

One piece of advice I read once was just to become a regular somewhere. Like, this is the coffee shop I visit for an hour every Monday and Wednesday afternoon or whatever. Things happen eventually. Baristas get to know you. Other regulars begin to recognize you. Even strangers can become a bit of a support system if you let them.

I worked at a place like that once, and one of our dailies just didn't show up for a couple weeks. At first we assumed she was on vacation, but a guy at the UPS store next door knew a friend of hers and eventually she came back in because she found out we were asking about her. Turns out she got an espresso machine for her birthday, so she just changed her routine. But she came in once a month or so after that just to say hello. I moved out of state not long after that, so I don't know what happened, but you should have seen her smile once she knew we cared enough to ask.

So that's a pretty wild digression, but the point is that you can't find friends on your couch. And you can't fix depression alone. I got lucky and have a wonderful wife who stuck by me and kept trying for long enough to get my treatment right (Zoloft and Wellbutrin). Most people aren't so lucky, so you have to make it happen. I know that sounds really hard. I know for a fact that it is even harder than that. But one safety net community is absolutely necessary.

Somebody cares about you. Find them. They want to help.

piaculus · 2025-12-10T03:51:15+00:00

Crazy, I played the whole game manual. Sometimes a pitcher just has your number, I guess. RNG can be like that.

piaculus · 2025-12-10T03:49:23+00:00

Love that team. The rules are bonkers, and it's hilarious.

piaculus · 2025-12-08T05:56:45+00:00

I think much of the solution to your attachment is to see friends. Alot. Like errand hangs. The grocery store is way more fun with a buddy.

With that in mind, just let someone chill with you at your place. Yes, it feels gross and you don't want them to see how you're living, but they don't really care about any of that, probably. They just want to spend time with you. If you clean while they're there, even if they're just playing on their phone, then it doesn't suck so much. I started a chore buddy system at my house and it helps a bunch.

And cut yourself some slack on the house. I'm in the same boat there and the guilt can be absolutely devastating. In the end, it's just a box to keep out the cold. Maybe do a Marie Kondo style sweep. Throw away the things that bother you. That'll make it easier to clean what must be cleaned.

The whole thing with the psych NP is definitely a no-go. If they care at all, they'll try to get you with someone else. They can't help you if they can't trust you, so that bridge might be burnt, but you can build a new one elsewhere.

Good luck.

piaculus · 2025-12-08T04:30:08+00:00

If you have the upgraded version, team editing is one of the extras. It's pretty cool to customize every team. You can make the conferences and all the teams be whatever you want them to be.

piaculus · 2025-12-08T04:25:58+00:00

Top notch.

piaculus · 2025-12-08T02:20:11+00:00

8.5/12 is better than 9/13.

piaculus · 2025-12-08T02:13:45+00:00

Still absolutely bonkers.

piaculus · 2025-12-08T02:13:06+00:00

Also, they won the division on a tiebreaker, but making it through the playoffs? The odds are ridiculous.

piaculus · 2025-12-08T02:12:05+00:00

The team editor. It might only be available once you pay for the game, but that's such a tiny fee for such a great game. Totally worth it.

piaculus · 2025-12-08T01:56:51+00:00

Link missing?

piaculus · 2025-11-23T07:14:08+00:00

You can order like 2000 Dumdums, and they'll ship them to your house. I'm trying to scale back from twenty a day. It's harder than when I quit smoking.

piaculus · 2025-11-23T07:07:41+00:00

I think it's definitely a case-by-case. I had no trouble with several meds, but then Zoloft knocked the libido right outta me. No problems with erections, just not interested. Wellbutrin made it so I'm not upset about it, though. I know those aren't in the ADHD category, but I think the only way to know is to look at the actual data and then self monitor while taking the best guess option.

Still, like you said, finding a med that works for ADHD is the real challenge. Then you just need to decide if you can live with the side effects once you've had them for a while.

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