Random Questions & Thoughts

Thanks. I have a new set of Colgate white strips that came with the light. I’ll start taking them off after an hour - I’ve been leaving them on overnight (or until I get up to use the toilet).
 
US customs is now doing a deep dive inspection of any clothing coming into the country with mother of pearl buttons. I was warned that my Proper Cloth order would take an extra week if I opted for MoP and they weren’t kidding.
 
Dropbear said:
US customs is now doing a deep dive inspection of any clothing coming into the country with mother of pearl buttons. I was warned that my Proper Cloth order would take an extra week if I opted for MoP and they weren’t kidding.
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why? they think it could be ivory or something like that?
 
Grand Potentate said:
why? they think it could be ivory or something like that?
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MOP and other shells e.g. abalone, are regulated by wildlife regs. There needs to be CITES certificates to have them imported into the US. Some species are banned. Same thing if I want to export a black bearskin. Need the CITES cert. Carl at CEGO told me that years ago.
 
Thruth said:
MOP and other shells e.g. abalone, are regulated by wildlife regs. There needs to be CITES certificates to have them imported into the US. Some species are banned. Same thing if I want to export a black bearskin. Need the CITES cert.
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I don’t recall them enforcing this as strictly in the past?
 
I've been sober since 2nd January 2024. My latest blood test says all of the effort is sort of wasted as my ferritin levels are back to late spring. I'm like a bad stock on the market where I just erased all my gains since summer. Next up for checking is my thyroid and for arthritis.

Everyone writes they have all these amazing benefits after going sober.

My angular cheilitis disappeared. I still get rashes - I think I have the virus once the weather gets cold but at least it wasn't hanging around during the summer months. A lot of it I think has to do with the pH level of my digestion system. When I was drinking it was quite acidic. I tested with pH strips and given the shape of my jaw I'm guessing there was some drool at the corner of my mouth when I pass out from alcohol or drugs.

I read that sobriety helps with eczema because alcohol promotes shedding of skin. Not for me. I'm still getting random outbreaks here and there. I definitely won't be modeling for anything now that my tan is gone and sub zero winter has set in.

I sleep more. I still get insomnia but the insomnia has moved from 2am to 12am. My initial sleep cycles aren't complete alcohol induced blackouts. I sleep more but that's because I am working out every day and I really need the recovery time so the aches and pains that creep up early evening don't stay permanent. 8 hours in bed = 7 hours of sleep for me so I'm in bed 8 1/2 hours just to get something close to 7 1/2. I wouldn't say I'm an efficient sleeper by any means but I do sleep more than when I was drinking. It could also be I'm not out late and I have more time to sleep. One benefit of the sleep is I no longer need caffeine. I still have coffee or tea in the mornings but I cut it off after 1400. Afternoon "pick me ups" are superfluous and in fact eat into my falling asleep time. As a result of the weight loss I'm really cold. From 28c to 21c I already started feeling cool. At 15c I was already wearing cardigans and sweaters. Below 10c I have no idea what the difference is because I'm just cold. I went for a 90 minute round trip walk to pick up something last week and it takes awhile when I'm back home to heat up again. Before it was just my legs which lost all of its fat in 2022 and 2023 but now it's more parts of my body.

I went from 69kg to 60.5kg in 6 months. I'm hovering around 60.5 to 61.5. I haven't seen 63kg since last winter. Who knew alcohol was a source of calories for me. I worked out 360 of 365 days in 2023 and 365 of 365 days in 2024 so the regimen is roughly the same with about 50km-60km walking every week. The only thing that happened is I started avoiding beef (max 1/month), shellfish (max 2/week), duck/rabbit/lamb (0x), and pork (3x/week). Size 36 jackets I bought for fun without any intention of buttoning up are now somewhat loose. All trousers are loose. In fact I'm killing some of the cuffs because I have trouble keeping the waist up. I have no intention to alter any of my clothes or buy new ones until I figure what weight I should be. I'm below my uni weight. If I lose a few more kilograms I'm going to be high school weight. My face looks more square. If I didn't have my ridiculous jaw it would almost be a triangle.

I read somewhere people's brains are rewired and they are suddenly happier after sobriety. None of that happened for me. If anything I just found different things to do to occupy the time. I still go out to bars and restaurants when my mates ask about it. I order non alcoholic beer or in some places they are serving non alcoholic wine. Mocktails have too much sugar for my taste so I'll have maximum one. I'm happy for the time I get back. I ditch everyone before 2100 and go home because chances are after the 2nd or 3rd drink they have no idea I'm gone anyway and I get to go back to my bed and recover to workout at 5am like Batman does in his bat cave. Uber is making less money off me.

In the first few hours after my morning workout I would say I have a heightened sense of everything. This is, I'm guessing, what people say when they say they are more present after sobriety. I'm usually walking city streets at that time so sounds, vision (for vehicles, obstructions), reaction times and general sense of dodgy characters around me is at the maximum. This is probably the best time I can be a soldier until it wears off when I get hungry and the circadian cycle runs its course.

I don't think this is related to my sobriety but my reaction times are strangely faster. Kids dropping their spoons or receipts flying in the air - I just naturally react to catch it and I often get it now.

How long this goes on for I have no idea. It's certainly not my new year's resolution for 2025. Watching Mad Men is probably not the best choice for me at the moment.
 
I've been a patron of this business for some time now. It was started by two (now old) blokes. I remember hearing about one of them talk about his kids. One of the kids graduated and got a job and then came to work in the father's business. Eventually the daughter and another person who joined the company took over the firm as co-owners and the founders semi-retired. Now the daughter is on maternity leave so the founders chip in for a bit. Except the father now married the other co-owner. The co-owner is much closer to the daughter's age than the founder's age. Family businesses are weird.
 
I just noticed that RFK Jr is still rocking the 50s and early 60s skinny neck tie look.
 
1737604721323.webp
 
What does it mean when someone sends you a message of a screenshot of a post on Insta about loneliness being an issue as recognised by the WHO?
 
I met this woman at her event in her early to mid 30s. She passed her 40 milestone a few years ago. She belatedly revealed it to me. It looks like she grew dress sizes in her social media posts and things that pointed up are bigger and pointing down.
 
Fwiffo said:
I met this woman at her event in her early to mid 30s. She passed her 40 milestone a few years ago. She belatedly revealed it to me. It looks like she grew dress sizes in her social media posts and things that pointed up are bigger and pointing down.
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now's the time to strike while the stock is devalued.
 
Grand Potentate said:
now's the time to strike while the stock is devalued.
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Women don’t age like a fine wine. That is a myth.

In other news Backstreet Boys are doing a residency in Vegas. The Sphere will be swarming with menopausal women screaming their heads off.
 
Fwiffo said:
Women don’t age like a fine wine. That is a myth.

In other news Backstreet Boys are doing a residency in Vegas. The Sphere will be swarming with menopausal women screaming their heads off.
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Dude, what is wrong with you? Who hurt you like this?
 
An uncle (not blood related) on my maternal side died. No flowers. I was asked to donate to the charity of his choice which seems to be some paediatric surgery. How much is suitable? I have no idea. The website started with $240, $100, $50 and $20 or other.

Don’t want to look like a douche, nor cheap but I am a pensioner.
 
Fwiffo said:
An uncle (not blood related) on my maternal side died. No flowers. I was asked to donate to the charity of his choice which seems to be some paediatric surgery. How much is suitable? I have no idea. The website started with $240, $100, $50 and $20 or other.

Don’t want to look like a douche, nor cheap but I am a pensioner.
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Any amount is fine, Fwiffs. .
 
Thruth said:
Any amount is fine, Fwiffs. .
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Cheers. I did $300 (sorry Rambo). I thought it would show a list of all the people who donated like sponsoring someone for a marathon to see where I rank alongside my cousins and relatives but nope.
 
Fwiffo said:
I thought it would show a list of all the people who donated like sponsoring someone for a marathon to see where I rank alongside my cousins and relatives but nope.
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Congratulations, that must be the worst possible reason for a donation of any amount.
 
I just walked by a street corner a block away from one of the busiest intersections here and I saw someone put out a table selling ground beef, tallow, bone broth and honey. Just a table and some vacuum packed meat on the table.
 
I didn't know The Rock was still doing WWE stuff. I thought he's a movie and TV actor now.

I could kind of believe John Cena is still doing some WWE stuff until he gets more roles.
 
I was at a health care event of doctors, non profit advocates and pharmaceutical companies. The topic of the day was obesity.

Is it finally appropriate to tell the person in front of you with a bulging mid section at the buffet they ought to think twice loading up in the meatballs, pasta and desserts?

I don’t start vaping, slapping on nicotine patches and/or run down the building every half hour for a smoke at an anti smoking convention.
 
Fwiffo said:
I was at a health care event of doctors, non profit advocates and pharmaceutical companies. The topic of the day was obesity.

Is it finally appropriate to tell the person in front of you with a bulging mid section at the buffet they ought to think twice loading up in the meatballs, pasta and desserts?

I don’t start vaping, slapping on nicotine patches and/or run down the building every half hour for a smoke at an anti smoking convention.
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Do you just attend random conventions to pass the time?
 
belinmad said:
Do you just attend random conventions to pass the time?
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Yes. I was invited by the paper I subscribe to. But I only attended half of this one because I had to run back and make dinner for my parents so I missed the coffee/tea break and the networking/free booze that I can't take advantage of after the seminars.
 
I told my mother not to eat things like spam and other brands of luncheon meat because high sodium is bad for my father who has edema. After my father spat it back out claiming it was too salty, he said my mother is stockpiling tins of these because of the impending war with the Yanks.
 
I finally got in front of a television that has my Disney Plus subscription. I resumed watching the Kardashians. Kim K looks better with minimal makeup. Also surprised she is so willing to be filmed like this.
 
I am randomly dropping things with my left hand because of sudden loss of grip.

I know sometimes when I do pull ups or I have a weight session in the morning the left forearm is numb even if it's not holding anything. It seems to be aggravated the most in the afternoon when I'm walking (and carrying things on my right hand). Immediately after the workout I'm known to drop a few things. But I've mostly stopped exercising my left arm for 1 1/2 weeks to let my shoulder heal so it was weird I dropped an empty eco bag today.
 
I met the rheumatologist yesterday. She says I don't have any after listening to a bit of moaning and testing for grip strength and hip/leg flexibility. She says my father probably had osteoarthritis. Okay well he's dead so I can't verify.

She said it seems I am getting sent and tested to everyone in a process of elimination. And she eliminated this. Good news she said. I don't have rheumatoid arthritis. Maybe my rheumatoid Factor is just naturally high. What about all the other blood test numbers that light up like a Christmas tree. Well you need to go back to the family doctor.

Can I start smoking again? No don't do that.

I can already imagine the next conversation. So my ferritin is 200% over and no one knows why. Can I start drinking 5 bottles of wine and half a bottle hard liquor a week again? Oh no, don't do that

Can I do recreational drugs again? Oh no, that's not good for you.

Can I stop exercising every day thinking it will deplete ferritin? Oh no, you should be active and exercise.

Can I stop watching my diet and gorge on red meat and fried foods again? Oh no, stick to a veg centric diet. Less animal oils less red meat.

Can I get my hair pills renewed? Oh no, you should get off cosmetic drugs.

Basically I get all the restrictions even and none of the benefits. Zelensky got a better deal from Trump and Vance.
 
Fwiffo Fwiffo did you really ask a Health Professional if you should start smoking again?

I'm not sure what award to give you.
 
fxh said:
Fwiffo Fwiffo did you really ask a Health Professional if you should start smoking again?

I'm not sure what award to give you.
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With two family physicians last year - yes. But I added afterwards I didn't expect anyone to sign off on it to say yes, go ahead smoke and binge drink. They then proceeded to talk about a glass of wine or two and how acceptable (or unacceptable) it is.
 
Going through all of my father's removeable media going back to MMC cards. All these videos he collected or scraped off YouTube were a waste given he couldn't see in the end.
 
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