The Coffee House

[limr34 3]

Hey hosers.

I was born smack dab in the middle of the GenX years, so there's no ambiguity here Grew up pretty free-range and very much feel like a bridge between a more "old-fashioned" mindset/lifestyle (I WILL tell errant children to get off my lawn ) and a more modern/progressive one.

Netflix production of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" looks like a knockout. Just landed. Jaw-dropping visuals. Macondo lives!

Ooh, will check this one out. I have been re-reading "Love in the Time of Cholera" and am in a bit of a "magical realism" kind of mood.

Hosers, December has been busy at work, as usual - end of semester stuff. I also had part two of my dental saga done yesterday. Had the extraction over the summer and yesterday, I had the post inserted for the implant. Heal for a few months, then the permanent crown goes in.

I don't like the dentist but have had enough work done that I usually deal with it fine, even root canals. But extraction and the post implant freaked me out so I insisted on sedation and it was absolutely the correct choice. Had a nice little psychedelic nap and woke up with the work all done.

Today, I am sore and swollen, but it's definitely easier than the aftermath of the extraction. The worst part is having to avoid hot liquids for a few days, so it's iced coffee for me this morning and for the next morning or two

There's a Shitty Camera Challenge on Bluesky, so even though I don't consider my instant cameras to be "shitty", I am breaking them out to do some long overdue shooting. I even broke out a pack of original Polaroid pack film! My Land Camera fooled me into thinking that the shutter was working so I thought the film had gone bad so I shot 10 totally blank frames. That's when I checked the batteries and realized they were starting to corrode. To salvage something from the burned-up film, I am practicing my emuslion lifts with original emulsion, which works differently from the Fuji pack pilm I am used to. Here's my first attempt at playing with shapes (sitting on the carnage from my failure.)

 

[nerwin]

Hey hosers.

I was born smack dab in the middle of the GenX years, so there's no ambiguity here Grew up pretty free-range and very much feel like a bridge between a more "old-fashioned" mindset/lifestyle (I WILl tell errant children to get off my lawn ) and a more modern/progressive one.



Ooh, will check this one out. I have been re-reading "Love in the Time of Cholera" and am in a bit of a "magical realism" kind of mood.

Hosers, December has been busy at work, as usual - end of semester stuff. I also had part two of my dental saga done yesterday. Had the extraction over the summer and yesterday, I had the post inserted for the implant. Heal for a few months, then the permanent crown goes in.

I don't like the dentist but have had enough work done that I usually deal with it fine, even root canals. But extraction and the post implant freaked me out so I insisted on sedation and it was absolutely the correct choice. Had a nice little psychedelic nap and woke up with the work all done.

Today, I am sore and swollen, but it's definitely easier than the aftermath of the extraction. The worst part is having to avoid hot liquids for a few days, so it's iced coffee for me this morning and for the next morning or two

There's a Shitty Camera Challenge on Bluesky, so even though I don't consider my instant cameras to be "shitty", I am breaking them out to do some long overdue shooting. I even broke out a pack of original Polaroid pack film! My Land Camera fooled me into thinking that the shutter was working so I thought the film had gone bad so I shot 10 totally blank frames. That's when I checked the batteries and realized they were starting to corrode. To salvage something from the burned-up film, I am practicing my emuslion lifts with original emulsion, which works differently from the Fuji pack pilm I am used to. Here's my first attempt at playing with shapes (sitting on the carnage from my failure.)View attachment 282036

How is the photography community on Bluesky? I don't know anyone on there, you're first I seen to mention it! Just curious.

 

[limr34 3]

How is the photography community on Bluesky? I don't know anyone on there, you're first I seen to mention it! Just curious.

Seems pretty robust. You can create specific feeds to follow certain accounts/hashtags. Granted, I focus on the film photography community, but it's a lot nicer and interactive than any FB groups I have found. There are some growing pains in Bluesky in general, but they seem manageable to me. Maybe it's more of an issue for bigger accounts, but I am just there for the cats and the photography

 

[nerwin]

Seems pretty robust. You can create specific feeds to follow certain accounts/hashtags. Granted, I focus on the film photography community, but it's a lot nicer and interactive than any FB groups I have found. There are some growing pains in Bluesky in general, but they seem manageable to me. Maybe it's more of an issue for bigger accounts, but I am just there for the cats and the photography

I deleted my Twitter account like a year or so before Musk bought it. Is BlueSky atleast better and less toxic?

 

[jeffashman15 6]

Hey hosers.

I was born smack dab in the middle of the GenX years, so there's no ambiguity here Grew up pretty free-range and very much feel like a bridge between a more "old-fashioned" mindset/lifestyle (I WILL tell errant children to get off my lawn ) and a more modern/progressive one.



Ooh, will check this one out. I have been re-reading "Love in the Time of Cholera" and am in a bit of a "magical realism" kind of mood.

Hosers, December has been busy at work, as usual - end of semester stuff. I also had part two of my dental saga done yesterday. Had the extraction over the summer and yesterday, I had the post inserted for the implant. Heal for a few months, then the permanent crown goes in.

I don't like the dentist but have had enough work done that I usually deal with it fine, even root canals. But extraction and the post implant freaked me out so I insisted on sedation and it was absolutely the correct choice. Had a nice little psychedelic nap and woke up with the work all done.

Today, I am sore and swollen, but it's definitely easier than the aftermath of the extraction. The worst part is having to avoid hot liquids for a few days, so it's iced coffee for me this morning and for the next morning or two

There's a Shitty Camera Challenge on Bluesky, so even though I don't consider my instant cameras to be "shitty", I am breaking them out to do some long overdue shooting. I even broke out a pack of original Polaroid pack film! My Land Camera fooled me into thinking that the shutter was working so I thought the film had gone bad so I shot 10 totally blank frames. That's when I checked the batteries and realized they were starting to corrode. To salvage something from the burned-up film, I am practicing my emuslion lifts with original emulsion, which works differently from the Fuji pack pilm I am used to. Here's my first attempt at playing with shapes (sitting on the carnage from my failure.)View attachment 282036

Both myself and my LW went through that implant thing. Mine wasn't too bad but done under local anesthesia. For my LW's we are currently battling insurance because they are claiming that her procedure was cosmetic and therefore not covered... she had a rotted front tooth that had become infected around the gum, and they called it cosmetic dentistry. Ugh!

 

[limr34 3]

Both myself and my LW went through that implant thing. Mine wasn't too bad but done under local anesthesia. For my LW's we are currently battling insurance because they are claiming that her procedure was cosmetic and therefore not covered... she had a rotted front tooth that had become infected around the gum, and they called it cosmetic dentistry. Ugh!

That's absurd.

My dental insurance kinda sucks but I ended up getting more of a break by applying my dental discount plan. It's called Careington and I signed up years ago before I had insurance and needed a root canal. It costs something like $120/year, and it has more than paid for itself many times over. In fact, I have had it for 20 years, so that means paying about $2400 over that entire period, and it saved me $2500 on that very first root canal. I have had two more since then, plus another crown, wisdom tooth extraction, this latest round of work, and cleanings every 6 months, so yeah, it has saved me plenty!

My dentist's office actually just told us they won't be taking that specific plan anymore, but there are other plans that they will take. Haven't had a chance to research them yet.

 

[limr34 3]

I deleted my Twitter account like a year or so before Musk bought it. Is BlueSky atleast better and less toxic?

I also deleted my Twitter account when Musk was buying it so I haven't seen what it has become. I didn't use it all that much for a few years before that, either.

Bluesky seems pretty chill. There are some accounts that get their panties in a bunch if they follow someone that doesn't follow back, but I don't really encounter that - just hear some others chatter about how it happens sometimes. I personally use the block function freely, not because I have encountered any negativity myself - I have only had positive interactions so far - but mostly because I can't be bothered with people who just want to rack up followers or who seem a little spammy. I only follow someone back if it's clear that they followed me because of some shared interest.

I have enjoyed it so far. I use Facebook to keep in touch with people I actually know in real life, I use Instagram for my fix of art and animal photos and videos, and Bluesky seems to fit in nicely to interact with people about specific interests. I also follow a variety of news sources so I can view a good cross-section of news without some algorithm deciding what to show me.

(Let me know if you join, I'll follow you back )

 

[otherprof92 33]

Netflix production of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" looks like a knockout. Just landed. Jaw-dropping visuals. Macondo lives!

Tw

 

[nerwin]

I also deleted my Twitter account when Musk was buying it so I haven't seen what it has become. I didn't use it all that much for a few years before that, either.

Bluesky seems pretty chill. There are some accounts that get their panties in a bunch if they follow someone that doesn't follow back, but I don't really encounter that - just hear some others chatter about how it happens sometimes. I personally use the block function freely, not because I have encountered any negativity myself - I have only had positive interactions so far - but mostly because I can't be bothered with people who just want to rack up followers or who seem a little spammy. I only follow someone back if it's clear that they followed me because of some shared interest.

I have enjoyed it so far. I use Facebook to keep in touch with people I actually know in real life, I use Instagram for my fix of art and animal photos and videos, and Bluesky seems to fit in nicely to interact with people about specific interests. I also follow a variety of news sources so I can view a good cross-section of news without some algorithm deciding what to show me.

(Let me know if you join, I'll follow you back )

That's good to know. When I first started using Twitter, I was all into tech so I followed a lot of tech people and it was great. Early on I even connected with celebrities but there was a point when it all just stopped. You no longer were seen by anyone. It ruined the whole thing for me! It used to be great.

Something happened with Instagram. I recently came back on Instagram but after two weeks of giving it a trial run again, I just can't do it. I absolutely can't stand it anymore so I deleted my account again

Been really considering coming back to Facebook for local stuff. There are businesses and events in my area that I miss out on because I'm not on Facebook to see them and they don't post them anywhere else. That really sucks for people who don't want to use Facebook. So its been tough trying to decide if its worth going back on there and let Zuck pick every information out of me lol.

 

[otherprof92 33]

Netflix production of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" looks like a knockout. Just landed. Jaw-dropping visuals. Macondo lives!

I loved both “One Hundred Years of Solitude” and “Love in the Time of Cholera “ as books. I once had a disagreement with a professor of English about the second book. I maintained the only thing magical about the second book was the language, i.e. every thing in it could actually happen. She thought I was crazy.

 

[limr34 3]

I agree - Cholera really isn't "magical realism" in the way A Thousand Years is.

Ask 5 English profs, get 17 different answers

(Not sure why the post from @otherprof isn't showing.)

 

[jeffashman15 6]

I also deleted my Twitter account when Musk was buying it so I haven't seen what it has become. I didn't use it all that much for a few years before that, either.

Bluesky seems pretty chill. There are some accounts that get their panties in a bunch if they follow someone that doesn't follow back, but I don't really encounter that - just hear some others chatter about how it happens sometimes. I personally use the block function freely, not because I have encountered any negativity myself - I have only had positive interactions so far - but mostly because I can't be bothered with people who just want to rack up followers or who seem a little spammy. I only follow someone back if it's clear that they followed me because of some shared interest.

I have enjoyed it so far. I use Facebook to keep in touch with people I actually know in real life, I use Instagram for my fix of art and animal photos and videos, and Bluesky seems to fit in nicely to interact with people about specific interests. I also follow a variety of news sources so I can view a good cross-section of news without some algorithm deciding what to show me.

(Let me know if you join, I'll follow you back )

I cancelled my X account at the same time because it had become so politically toxic. I'm on Threads, but they have their own toxic stuff, especially in the area of religion, with folks throwing out incendiary religious comments. I may check out BlueSky and see if it's a little more sane. I like Instagram for a lot of the very talented musicians that share their music. Merissaria, Jax the Bard, and harrietsings just to name a few. And then the hilarious duo of casperandpam, casper being chihuahua who like to sing along. There are a few wonderful poets as well, who recite their poems. Definitely a lot nicer than X or Threads for sure.

 

[limr34 3]

I cancelled my X account at the same time because it had become so politically toxic. I'm on Threads, but they have their own toxic stuff, especially in the area of religion, with folks throwing out incendiary religious comments. I may check out BlueSky and see if it's a little more sane. I like Instagram for a lot of the very talented musicians that share their music. Merissaria, Jax the Bard, and harrietsings just to name a few. And then the hilarious duo of casperandpam, casper being chihuahua who like to sing along. There are a few wonderful poets as well, who recite their poems. Definitely a lot nicer than X or Threads for sure.

I tried Threads for a little while but I didn't like it. It felt much more combative, like the worst of Facebook, and the interface was awful and confusing. Bluesky is much gentler. As it's grown so quickly, it has attracted more spam and trolls, but they are easily blocked. It's far more common to see people posting about how nice it is to be away from the toxic atmosphere of other platforms.

 

[JoolsW]

So glad I have not been tempted into 'Social media'. Forums like this are great, and avoid the toxicity typical on the socials.

 

[nerwin]

So glad I have not been tempted into 'Social media'. Forums like this are great, and avoid the toxicity typical on the socials.

I agree, forums are great if you find a good one. I been fairly happy here, sure there have been ups and downs but you'll have that no matter where you go. However everyone I know here are genuinely really nice and mean well.

Some forums can be extremely toxic too, I have definitely been on some. I look for forums that are heavily moderated. When I find a forum I like and notice they have spam posts up for days, but weeks even before they are removed I know it's not moderated well despite having large amounts of users. I have seen spam posts here too but they barely last more than a few hours before removed, sometimes within minutes!

This forum is one of the best on the interwebs!!