Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,212
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Post by Confessor on Jul 5, 2024 11:41:44 GMT -5
I know we're supposed to talk politics here, but I'm just gonna say, "YEEESSSSSS!!! Thank f**k!" I, for one, am quite disappointed that Count Binface wasn't elected. He's the Prime Minister we need, but do we deserve him?
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,212
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Post by Confessor on Jul 5, 2024 11:43:19 GMT -5
Now I'll stop talking about politics. Yes, and I'll do the same. Nothing to see here: carry on!
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Post by impulse on Jul 5, 2024 13:52:00 GMT -5
I know we're supposed to talk politics here, but I'm just gonna say, "YEEESSSSSS!!! Thank f**k!" I, on the other hand, found it almost impossible to celebrate Independence Day three days after the Supreme Court essentially told us that we have a King. Ditto. It was a VERY tough news week-ish or so. I, on the other hand, found it almost impossible to celebrate Independence Day three days after the Supreme Court essentially told us that we have a King. it's hard to witness the dismantling of one of the basic tenets of the Constitution like that. It's all very worrying. It's way more than worrying. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. But thanks for the sympathy, and congrats on the news on your side. This is one envious yank. edit ( This is where I will both start and stop talking about politics, as well. There's not much more to add that hasn't been alluded to.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 5, 2024 17:40:21 GMT -5
Just watching my tabby cat, Aja sleeping in a sunbeam. I've had two beige and orange tabbies; Aja and a previous male cat, called Punky (short for Punkin, since he was colored like a pumpkin) and both loved to lie in sunbeams. I think Bill Watterson was right when he had Hobbes say tiger's tummies are solar powered. These guys definitely love sitting in the sun.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 8, 2024 13:16:38 GMT -5
Yes... It is love.
After foreswearing Adobe because of its subscription-only system, I purchased Affinity Photo a few years back and am pretty satisfied with it. Very decent substitute for Photoshop, even if the commands aren't excatly the same and demand a certain adaptation (especially with the gradient tool, I found).
Not using Illustrator on a regular basis, I did not go for Affinity Designer immediately (it's supposed to be its equivalent. Having finally bought it during a recent sale, I was extremely pleased to see that it's more than an Illustrator competitor; it basically handles things the way the old and lamented Canvas 6 used to. It means you can easily use and edit both vector and raster images with the same program and in the same document.
I am very, very happy with it. Easy to use, inexpensive, very efficient, doesn't come with a subscription, and the company doesn't get an automatic licence to use your work. What's not to like?
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Post by impulse on Jul 8, 2024 14:57:32 GMT -5
Sounds great! I'm only a hobby user, but I'm thankful for inexpensive or free alternatives. Adobe seems to be racing against Microsoft to see who can piss off their customer base the hardest and soonest.
As an only occasional user, I find Photopea does basically everything I need it to. It's a free browser-based Photoshop clone more or less. I think it was done by one guy. It's really quite impressive for what it is.
I am not aware of an equivalent vector alternative, but I also don't really have a use case myself.
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Post by impulse on Jul 9, 2024 15:14:22 GMT -5
Anyone heard from Prince Hal lately? I realized he hasn't posted in some time. Just wondering and hoping everything's okay.
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Post by MRPs_Missives on Jul 9, 2024 15:34:58 GMT -5
Anyone heard from Prince Hal lately? I realized he hasn't posted in some time. Just wondering and hoping everything's okay. He messaged myself and some folks on the 7th regarding Marty, so he's ok and checking in occasionally, but he hasn't been posting much. -M
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Post by impulse on Jul 9, 2024 16:41:40 GMT -5
Thanks for confirming. I don't want to pester the guy, just noticed the absence and wanted to check. Thanks!
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Post by Batflunkie on Jul 9, 2024 18:26:43 GMT -5
Yes... It is love. After foreswearing Adobe because of its subscription-only system, I purchased Affinity Photo a few years back and am pretty satisfied with it. Very decent substitute for Photoshop, even if the commands aren't excatly the same and demand a certain adaptation (especially with the gradient tool, I found). Not using Illustrator on a regular basis, I did not go for Affinity Designer immediately (it's supposed to be its equivalent. Having fainally bought it during a recent sale, I was extremely pleased to see that it's more than an Illustrator competitor; it basically handles things the way the old and lamented Canvas 6 used to. It means you can easily use and edit both vector and raster images with the same program and in the same document. I am very, very happy with it. Easy to use, inexpensive, very efficient, doesn't come with a subscription, and the company doesn't get an automatic licence to use your work. What's not to like? People basically having to have to cancel their credit cards to get out of Adobe's notorious subscription policies is astounding. I've been using Krita for basic photo editing stuff and though I very rarely use it, there's lots of potential there and it's free as well
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Post by chadwilliam on Jul 10, 2024 14:45:43 GMT -5
Hoping I can get others' input on a situation I've found myself in:
About two years ago, one of my oldest friends (knew him since Kindergarten 40 years ago this year) cut off all ties with me. He had actually been something of shut in since High School and was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. He lives alone with his mother, has no job, and really I was one of only two or three people he ever hung out with if that.
His Schizophrenia has made him very receptive to all sorts of conspiracy claims - he believes that the Earth is flat, that school shootings are fake, pedophilia rings run by Hilary Clinton, etc. I always did my best to avoid these subjects when speaking with him and found that even the most basic questions about the likelihood of these claims upset him - ("Why does the Earth cast a round shadow on the moon then?" "If you're so curious, you look it up!").
As I said, he eventually just cut all ties and wouldn't respond to my attempts to reach out.
I bumped into him today at the mall. He was getting out of his car in the parking lot as I walked by. He saw me, put his head down, and walked inside. I called out. No answer. I figured this was the only chance I'd get to see him again so I went in after and asked "What's going on? Why aren't you talking to me?" He mumbled something about not wanting to talk to me and continued to ignore me. I said "We were friends for 40 years" He ignored me. I got upset, swore "F- you" at him and left. I suppose that part may not paint me in the best light, but, like I said, we were friends since we were both five forty years ago - in fact, I regarded him as my best friend.
This is completely alien territory to me. Anyone have any experience along these lines? Thoughts? I'm really bewildered right now and even shaken by the experience.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Jul 10, 2024 15:02:14 GMT -5
Hoping I can get others' input on a situation I've found myself in: About two years ago, one of my oldest friends (knew him since Kindergarten 40 years ago this year) cut off all ties with me. He had actually been something of shut in since High School and was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. He lives alone with his mother, has no job, and really I was one of only two or three people he ever hung out with if that. His Schizophrenia has made him very receptive to all sorts of conspiracy claims - he believes that the Earth is flat, that school shootings are fake, pedophilia rings run by Hilary Clinton, etc. I always did my best to avoid these subjects when speaking with him and found that even the most basic questions about the likelihood of these claims upset him - ("Why does the Earth cast a round shadow on the moon then?" "If you're so curious, you look it up!"). As I said, he eventually just cut all ties and wouldn't respond to my attempts to reach out. I bumped into him today at the mall. He was getting out of his car in the parking lot as I walked by. He saw me, put his head down, and walked inside. I called out. No answer. I figured this was the only chance I'd get to see him again so I went in after and asked "What's going on? Why aren't you talking to me?" He mumbled something about not wanting to talk to me and continued to ignore me. I said "We were friends for 40 years" He ignored me. I got upset, swore "F- you" at him and left. I suppose that part may not paint me in the best light, but, like I said, we were friends since we were both five forty years ago - in fact, I regarded him as my best friend. This is completely alien territory to me. Anyone have any experience along these lines? Thoughts? I'm really bewildered right now and even shaken by the experience. Man, that's pretty rough. Mental illness is a terrible, terrible thing. I never had to deal with schizophrenia but my own sister was bipolar so I have a sort of adjacent experience. My advice (because it worked for us) is not to take any guff, but to make it clear that once your friend is ready to renew your life-long friendship, you'll be there for them. Best of luck... Those are always difficult situations.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Jul 10, 2024 15:06:15 GMT -5
Hoping I can get others' input on a situation I've found myself in: About two years ago, one of my oldest friends (knew him since Kindergarten 40 years ago this year) cut off all ties with me. He had actually been something of shut in since High School and was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. He lives alone with his mother, has no job, and really I was one of only two or three people he ever hung out with if that. His Schizophrenia has made him very receptive to all sorts of conspiracy claims - he believes that the Earth is flat, that school shootings are fake, pedophilia rings run by Hilary Clinton, etc. I always did my best to avoid these subjects when speaking with him and found that even the most basic questions about the likelihood of these claims upset him - ("Why does the Earth cast a round shadow on the moon then?" "If you're so curious, you look it up!"). As I said, he eventually just cut all ties and wouldn't respond to my attempts to reach out. I bumped into him today at the mall. He was getting out of his car in the parking lot as I walked by. He saw me, put his head down, and walked inside. I called out. No answer. I figured this was the only chance I'd get to see him again so I went in after and asked "What's going on? Why aren't you talking to me?" He mumbled something about not wanting to talk to me and continued to ignore me. I said "We were friends for 40 years" He ignored me. I got upset, swore "F- you" at him and left. I suppose that part may not paint me in the best light, but, like I said, we were friends since we were both five forty years ago - in fact, I regarded him as my best friend. This is completely alien territory to me. Anyone have any experience along these lines? Thoughts? I'm really bewildered right now and even shaken by the experience. This is probably not going to be what you want to hear, but he's gone. I'm not a mental health professional, but I've been a criminal defense attorney for over twenty years. I've dealt with a LOT of folks with schizophrenia. Unless he is properly medicated, and it sounds like he's not, you're never going to begin to get through to him. Add to that, the apparent Qanon/Youtube conspiracy rabbit-hole and he's likely never coming back. There comes a point where you write friendships off. This is probably one of those points. Though, to be fair, I have zero tolerance for folks who get deep in to conspiracy theory territory of any political stripe.
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Post by MRPs_Missives on Jul 10, 2024 15:34:54 GMT -5
Hoping I can get others' input on a situation I've found myself in: About two years ago, one of my oldest friends (knew him since Kindergarten 40 years ago this year) cut off all ties with me. He had actually been something of shut in since High School and was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. He lives alone with his mother, has no job, and really I was one of only two or three people he ever hung out with if that. His Schizophrenia has made him very receptive to all sorts of conspiracy claims - he believes that the Earth is flat, that school shootings are fake, pedophilia rings run by Hilary Clinton, etc. I always did my best to avoid these subjects when speaking with him and found that even the most basic questions about the likelihood of these claims upset him - ("Why does the Earth cast a round shadow on the moon then?" "If you're so curious, you look it up!"). As I said, he eventually just cut all ties and wouldn't respond to my attempts to reach out. I bumped into him today at the mall. He was getting out of his car in the parking lot as I walked by. He saw me, put his head down, and walked inside. I called out. No answer. I figured this was the only chance I'd get to see him again so I went in after and asked "What's going on? Why aren't you talking to me?" He mumbled something about not wanting to talk to me and continued to ignore me. I said "We were friends for 40 years" He ignored me. I got upset, swore "F- you" at him and left. I suppose that part may not paint me in the best light, but, like I said, we were friends since we were both five forty years ago - in fact, I regarded him as my best friend. This is completely alien territory to me. Anyone have any experience along these lines? Thoughts? I'm really bewildered right now and even shaken by the experience. We all like to believe friendships last a lifetime. It's a pleasant happy thought. The sad reality is most don't. Friendships usually begin based on a convenient commonality-sharing the same school, living in the same neighborhood, working at the same job, having a common interest or whatever. And as long as that convenient commonality is in place, the friendship will likely stand unless there is some sort of conflict. The difficulty is when that convenient commonality is removed from the equation- one moves away, they graduate from school, one changes jobs, one loses interest in the shared interest they had, etc. In order for the friendship to last beyond that, it takes a lot of effort from both parties. It's not a matter of how much you liked each other, how many shared experiences you had, how much one cared about the other or vice versa, but about making a conscious effort to maintain the friendship by both parties. Many friendships are sustained this way. Many are not. And it is not sustainable if it is a one-sided effort. As a kid who moved a lot, I saw a lot of friendships end when the convenient commonality ended despite both parties swearing they would keep in touch and maintain the friendship. It's easier said than done. It was one of the hard life lessons I had to learn. And I was, as often as not, the one who didn't put enough effort into it. There can be a lot of reasons why one side or the other doesn't put the effort in to sustain it. Some are conscious choices, many are not. It's all too easy to get too busy or too wrapped up in the new situations and the new friendships and not make the time to put the effort in to maintain the old, even if you have every intention of doing so. When mental illness enters the equation on either side, it gets a whole lot harder. And it doesn't matter if one side is willing, cares a lot, and puts a whole lot of effort into trying to maintain, sustain, or reestablish the friendship, it's all for naught if the other side is unable or unwilling to do the same. It sounds like in this case, that convenient commonality was long out of the equation and the effort to sustain was not a two-way street. I applaud you for your effort to try to sustain it, but as an outsider looking in, it seems he stopped doing so a long time ago. Maybe not consciously, and maybe because of his mental health issues he was unable to, but that seems to be the case. Again kudos to you for not giving up and trying, but it sounds like this fellow needs a lot of help and support, and he is not willing to do so or even willing to admit he needs the help or allow others to try. That sucks, and it hurts when it was someone you were close to. One of the hardest lessons I learned when I was an educator is that there are some people you cannot help because they won't allow themselves to be helped. Hopefully some day someone will break through to him and maybe he can start to get the help he needs. And if you are willing and inclined, you can be there to support him and try to renew the friendship when he does, but until and unless he does, there is no friendship there. He's made it clear that you aren't going to be the one who breaks through to get him to the realizations he needs. It's likely going to require some kind of medical intervention to do so, and that likely can only be done by a family member or caretaker and even then, it's not a given. But it may be time for you to let go and realize, it wasn't your fault. It may not be his fault because of the mental health issues, but it wasn't your fault. If you want to keep the door open, that's commendable, but he needs to walk through. You've opened the door, reached out, invited him in, tried to drag him in, and he still has refused. That's not on you. It's hard, I know. We always want to think we can or should do more. Letting go feels like giving up, but its not. It's the old riff on the old Serenity Prayer (Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference) which can seem trite, but it is absolutely applicable to situations like this. He needs to want to change and work to change before change can happen, and until that happens, there's not a lot you can do. Which, as I said, sucks and it hurts, but accepting that is the challenge. -M
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 10, 2024 16:55:03 GMT -5
I've dealt with similar, if not the same situation. Barb's best friend was living in Springfield, about an hour a way and she and Barb had been really tight friends, through a lot of bad trials and tribulations. Both had health problems and both had mental illness and psychological issues. Bess had fibromyalgia and diabetes and had lost a son to childhood disease, at a young age. Her husband was a useless, amoral opportunist, who avoided an honest living. Barb kept trying to help her get out of the marriage but Bess wrote the book on co-dependency. Bess leaned on Barb for everything and Barb's own mental issues made her vulnerable to the added stress, from Bess. Bess' husband was also the brother of Barba's abusive ex-husband. Bess' lowlife husband walked out on her for a sugar momma and left Bess to fend for herself. barb helped her a lot, via long distance, but Bess also fell in with conspiracy nuts, via her church, and bought into all of the Trump era BS (conspiracy theories and political nonsense). barb tried talking sense to her, after asking me for input on the context of some of the topics she spouted; but, Bess wouldn't listen. Barb ended up having to cut Bess off, for her own mental health, which was already fluctuating heavily, as she went through periods of insomnia, which magnified her psychoses and weakened her physically. Bess believed the COVID conspiracies and wouldn't get vaccinated, despite being extremely vulnerable and it became a self-fulfilling prophecy, as she was awakened to the reality of COVID, when it led to her death. That greatly affected Barb's mental state, which added to our own relationship problems and he downward spiral, mentally and physically, leading to Barb being hospitalized and then contracting COVID, which led to her death
You can't get through to irrational people until they can get professional help, which can bring them back into the world of rational thought. All you can do is love them and offer support. It doesn't erase the feelings of helplessness and sadness; but, it is the only way to protect your own mental health. Feelings of anger are justified and you have to allow yourself to feel your emotions.
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