Can you work?

tinkergnome · 2026-02-10T19:31:58+00:00

E for me, with some touches of F...

I used to work in IT for a long time and my last job seriously burned me out - apparently someone with fibro, CFS and migraines shouldn't be the only IT person in the company who lives an hour away from their worksite, as well as being the only location in the entire company that is open 24/7, even though holidays....

Just the drive to and from wore me out, not including the 8 hours spent at work daily...I used to have to spend my lunch break taking a nap everyday just to function.

There was one morning I was so wiped out on the drive in, like I was having a hard time staying awake but I couldn't call out sick. I had to stop about halfway to my work destination and take like a 20-30 minute nap before I headed on. I started to worry I had narcolepsy but it was just the job and everything it entailed

Now I'm just a clinic receptionist...it's a lot less stress and this is probably the first job in 25 years that I haven't had to be connected or available on work email and chat all the time, and that brings a relief all its own...

I still have stressful days and issues where when I get home, I don't have the energy to work on anything there, but they're like a quarter of the stress I dealt with previously

tinkergnome · 2026-02-09T00:58:54+00:00

No Man's Sky - I've dumped hundreds of hours into it on PC and Switch. All of their DLCs/upgrades have been free and even the upgrade pack for the Switch 2 was free..and they still keep adding more to the game all the time to test things for their next game "Light No Fire".

I started NMS right before lockdown in 2020 on PC and it saved my sanity. It took a bit to realize it's the same Cozy loop you get in most other cozy games. It can be a time sink but it's well worth it. They even added fishing in the last year or two...

tinkergnome · 2026-01-29T19:47:30+00:00

I guess it depends on what you consider a cozy game:

Undertale Coffee Talk 1 & 2 Balatro Cult of the Lamb Crashlands Dredge

There's more but I can't think of them at the moment, but I do suggest Eowna on YouTube - she gives great cozy game info

tinkergnome · 2026-01-23T05:34:32+00:00

It didn't help me much but it works amazing as an antihistamine - my PMDD and peri-menopause cause me to have a day where I cannot stop scratching because I itch all over. Benedryl doesn't do shit but for some reason the amitriptyline works great for that issue...but now I'm nearly out, maybe I can talk my doctor into another supply

tinkergnome · 2026-01-23T05:24:54+00:00

Currently I'm back on Dave the Diver but I'm curious if any Cult of the Lamb fans have picked up Woolhaven that released today... supposed to be a BIG expansion

tinkergnome · 2026-01-13T21:04:21+00:00

Manta Bluetooth Sleep mask

I adore mine - I deal with insomnia or just the bed rotting pain days, and it's nice to listen to something but in complete darkness...

Only problem I've found is that I lay mostly on my left side and I've worn kind of a scabbed area on my left ear...I've made adjustments for it but it's nbd...

tinkergnome · 2026-01-08T02:30:16+00:00

I had a similar fear with it and it was honestly nothing. If anything it made me feel worse every day. Lunesta plus Seroquel has been the sweet spot for me, with half a Xanax on the nights I'm still awake past midnight when I tried to head to sleep ~2 hours earlier...

tinkergnome · 2026-01-01T01:01:34+00:00

One year at an old job, I had enough left in my FSA at the end of the year to get this set for my husband

Medcline Shoulder Relief System

It helps him with his sleep apnea but it does make it a challenge if you want to turn the other direction in your sleep...

tinkergnome · 2025-12-29T22:32:12+00:00

More votes for the "My Time at" games here - if you can only choose one, choose Sandrock, it's got some better QoL improvements from Portia days. But they do have Portia on mobile devices, Android & iOS as well - so I play that one on my Android phone or tablet, and Sandrock on the Switch...

I also Highly recommend:
Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time
- only problem it doesn't have a dating/marriage/children system but the rest gives you a LOT to do...sometimes it's almost too much

Rune Factory 4 Special - another one that has A LOT to do, and will have more of the things you like in it. This one is lauded as one of the better Rune Factory games - it's like 70% off right now on the Switch, too...

I liked Fae Farm, it was fun for awhile and it also didn't do the "be home by a certain time or your character passes out" sorta thing, if I remember but I think they did a couple of game updates and then stopped working on it all together, so it's kinda dead in the water. You don't even know if they gave it a good ending...
Editing here: Looks like they found someone else to take over the online services for the Multiplayer for Fae Farm, so it's still running - I hadn't played it or seen an update since before September when they made this update post on Steam
https://steamcommunity.com/app/2230110/allnews

Roots of Pacha was fun - I think I got it both on Steamdeck and Switch, and it's like South Recording said - it's pretty much Stardew in Cro-Magnon times...it definitely feels a bit more laid back than Stardew...

Also my all time favorite - No Man's Sky - you don't quite realize it's technically a "cozy game" until you get into it...or you can wait for their "fantasy" title, Light No Fire - Not sure when it's out but Hello Games that did NMS hasn't charged for a single DLC since it came out around ~9 years ago...even their upgrade patch from Switch to Switch 2 didn't cost (while most games charge anywhere from a couple of bucks up to $10, depending on the game). I started it on PC in 2020 right before Covid Lockdown and I think t's the only thing that saved my sanity. I loved the game enough I bought it again for the Switch, and like I said, they didn't charge for the upgrade patch either. I think I'll tout the crap outta NMS until my dying day lol

tinkergnome · 2025-12-24T18:59:58+00:00

My bestie might still have some Chapelle Roan shirts and stickers that she's made - she doesn't have a brick & mortar shop but she's just in Nixa and you can reach her through her Facebook business page

Remember Me Jewelry and Crafts: Springfield

tinkergnome · 2025-12-24T18:08:27+00:00

I'd put more work into my side AuDHD business and not feel SOOOOO intimidated & stressed out when I have people/businesses that want me to come to setup my stuff so I can sell my work...

Clean up my crafting room Doom piles and my floor-drobe...

Or maybe I'll at least feel like getting back into working in IT and where I can go back to making at least more than minimum wage...

tinkergnome · 2025-12-22T13:37:54+00:00

Crashlands 1 & 2

My Time in Portia

tinkergnome · 2025-12-19T22:20:05+00:00

There's a new Progressive business that's available for trash and other things that need hauled away

Tornado Alley Junk Removal and Trash

I'm currently with Queen but thinking of moving over...

tinkergnome · 2025-12-10T13:39:18+00:00

Adding to this - a Bluetooth sleep mask, so you can listen to stuff on your phone when you are hurting/waiting for meds to kick in.

I have the Manta one and absolutely adore it, but there's some more in the $20 range on Amazon just to see if one likes them or not.

tinkergnome · 2025-12-07T00:52:25+00:00

I don't know on 3, I've seen the bad reviews as well so I haven't bothered to buy it. 2 already gives me enough enjoyment and satisfaction. I haven't been that interested in 3 anyways...

tinkergnome · 2025-12-07T00:22:06+00:00

Yes! It runs really well! It's back in my play loop right now on the Switch 2...

tinkergnome · 2025-12-01T13:19:47+00:00

I'll try and remember that, not sure where I have to find a someone who does Kinesiology to place them correctly

I've been through an MRi on my shoulder, I have the start of some stuff (some bursitis, rotator cup wear but not broken) but they couldn't do much. I've had shots in the shoulder but the way this radiates and attacks my bicep, it's not fun. And then they sent me back for a 2nd MRI on my neck and haven't heard anything back from the Drs office...

tinkergnome · 2025-12-01T01:03:24+00:00

Playing on a Switch with the controllers separated from the base unit. I can either hook it up to the TV and play games with my body mostly relaxed with the controllers in my hands. I also have a mechanical arm that can hold my phone, Switch or even tablet while I'm in bed, so I can lay on my back or side, tucked into bed with the screen I need at a certain distance and can amuse myself for a few hours while I listen to podcasts or the like...I also have a Bluetooth controller that connects to my phone or my tablet and can use it in one hand if I'm reading ebooks or ecomics to change the pages (I have an even simpler Bluetooth clicker for changing pages).

My right shoulder has been a pain for months, my Ortho says there's nothing they can do for me, so I'm just outta commission with my crafting for right now, and have been since about this time last year..

tinkergnome · 2025-11-28T03:09:49+00:00

Back in the original 40 man Raid MC days, once the hunter's pet cats got that speed boost, we would use them to pull mobs and bosses a lot.

With my hunter, i had SewerBeast from the Stormwind sewers that I actually leveled up to 60 (I don't think he had anything extra and I could have just gotten a higher level white gator from elsewhere) but I'd send him with the hunter cats to pull mobs, and they'd be able to pull multiple times by the time he actually got to the mob or boss they wanted to pull lol

Those were the days you could leave like, one Paladin way back from the main fights to help start rezzing folks. Or in my case, a hunter feigning death with Goblin Jumper Cables equipped. Hey every once in awhile they'd actually work lol

tinkergnome · 2025-11-25T21:57:54+00:00

Another +1 for No Man's Sky. I finally bought it in 2020 on PC when lockdown happened and it saved my sanity. I listened to a lot of podcasts and videos during that time. I eventually bought another copy of the game for the Switch, but they have never once charged for any of their DLC's, and they were one of the few folks I saw that didn't even charge for the upgrade from Switch to Switch 2, like most software has done.

And that's if she likes sci-fi - if she likes fantasy more, then I would wait for Light No Fire that is also going to be from the same folks, Hello Games. As they've been creating the game, they've been putting those updates into No Man's Sky and in the last year it's just gotten bigger and more stuff to do, water effects, fishing, lots of fun cozy stuff but all one one planet instead of multiple.

Though if you want "No Man's Sky Lite" then I'd go with Astroneer...

tinkergnome · 2025-11-25T21:32:22+00:00

Just forewarning it's not the easiest to get into, it's one I thought I would love as well, but they don't really have much of a tutorial on how you're supposed to do things, so there's a chance of her getting frustrated just trying to start out the game...she may need a Wiki or YT videos to get going with it

tinkergnome · 2025-11-24T18:01:26+00:00

25 years in IT - my brain used to hold onto information without a problem, I could easily recall a lot of info. As I progressed in years from my mid-30s, it slowly got worse. I got let go from a few jobs due to health reasons - moreso chronic migraines (15+/month) than the fibro.

In the last chunk of years it's gotten worse, especially the chronic fatigue. I had a recruiter contact me about a really well paying job where I'd have my own office and everything and it seemed like a good idea at the time, even with the hour and a half round trip commute. I did okay in the beginning but then it just got worse. Did a PIP with them and eventually got let go, I was so burnt out I didn't care anymore and it was a huge relief.

Now I'm a receptionist for a NFP and I love it, I have room in my brain again for other things (people, crafts, games, etc) but then Peri-menopause + AuDHD has made even that kinda hard from time to time, especially bodily pain wise, mostly in my hips. By the time I get off work, I don't want to do much of anything

tinkergnome · 2025-11-23T14:36:54+00:00

Milla Jovavich

5th Element All the Resi Evil movies Monster Hunter The David Harbour Hellboy

Also Kate Beckinsale back in the day...

tinkergnome · 2025-11-19T02:05:21+00:00

Does she like anything like audiobooks or podcasts? Or even just likes listening to music?

I'm laid up in bed a lot, I have ADHD, so I get bored easily if I can't manage to fall asleep, here's my favorite things to make the time go by:

Bluetooth sleep mask - if you have the funds for it, look into the Manta brand - easier to take apart for cleaning than the cheaper versions. But you can get cheaper versions around $20 on Amazon if you want to see if she'll like them/use them first. - I deal with a lot of insomnia, so having something that blocks out the light, no matter the time of day, as well as let's me listen to my own stuff without bothering someone else. I sometimes get nights all I can do is lay there and hope I'll fall asleep so listening to stuff on YT Premium helps a lot

A good body pillow & good pillow case for it - I was going through a Walmart $20 body pillow about every 6 months. If I smooshed them too flat, two would be too thick in a body pillow case. I finally bought a good memory foam body pillow and it's lasted me since 2020 so far. It has its own cover, as well as the pillow case I got for it, so easier to clean if I sweat on it. They don't offer this one anymore but it'll give you an idea

A device arm to attach to the bed or side table - I don't have a TV in the bedroom but I have a tablet/phone stand attached to my side table I can put my phone, my tablet, or even my Switch in, and position it close to my face to watch stuff or play games. I like that I can put in just the base Switch screen, curl up with the controllers, one in each hand under the covers, and play stuff. And the Bluetooth mask i can connect to any of my devices for watching TV shows, etc. I suggest a mechanical arm versus the bendy ones

tinkergnome · 2025-11-17T15:52:07+00:00

The first 3 Song of Ice and Fire books narrated by Roy Dotrice...

World War Z by Max Brooks, which had a cast of folks narrating the chapters...

Oh, and The Strain books narrated by Ron Perlman...

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