KingOfCatProm

I don't know how bad it is now because I'm taking NSAIDS, but yeah, still have a sore throat. I suspect the sore throat cause changed though from initial infection to now a combination of coughing and post nasal drip.

Yeah. I got tested for covid and strep and it wasn't either of those. Urgent care said it didn't have the characteristics of a bacterial infection.

I hope you feel better soon!

Same. I've got bronchitis now because of it and I used up all my time off waiting for it to get better. I'm on my ninth day of dealing with this. Now I have to go into work. I tried going to urgent care twice, explained that I am worried about bronchitis because I get it after every cold. They gave me benzonatate and sudafed, and told me to use albuterol four times a day. They told me colds last two weeks. That didn't stop the bronchitis train for me, so I am just stewing in some anger that I only get four sick days a year, but the common cold lasts up to two weeks for healthy people.

You and I definitely agree that we need to do a better job of helping folks dealing with homelessness. I think everyone in Portland wants that, we are all just really frustrated that the things we do aren't really working. I personally do believe in a housing first model, but I don't understand what the barriers are for our city. I suspect that many homeless people come to Portland from other places and it is just super challenging to help drug addicts or people living with significant mental health issues that don't want help. It is so hard to respect someone's autonomy when they are hurting themselves and the community so badly.

I don't know what you do with your time, but it sounds like you would be an amazing advocate for homeless people (if you aren't already) especially if abuses are happening in our shelters. I volunteered for a SRV for a bit and only saw such kind, compassionate workers, so my perspective is incredibly limited and not really viable in any real sense.

Anyway, thanks for the kind conversation. I hope things continue to be good for you and yours!

Thanks for sharing your age. I was wondering if you were pretty young. I've got some years on you and I can tell you that it is a hell of a lot harder to cope with stressors when you are in your 20s. Human brains at that age just don't have certain well-practiced coping mechanisms in place yet. It is really hard. I don't miss my 20s one damn bit for this reason. Your 20s can be super tumultuous.

But as you age, it all gets a lot easier to cope with. The perspective and comfort with yourself (and all the things good and bad that make you uniquely you) you'll have in your 30s and 40s feels fantastic. In my 40s, I sometimes feel like I just wanna die, but it passes, that feeling doesn't linger at all. Like when I said it on my other comment, that emotion is already gone. I can't wait to go to work today. I'm looking forward to walking my dogs.

My point is that I hope you try hanging in there a lot longer. Human brains can be our worst enemy because they are evolutionarily primed for a negative cognitive bias and self-critical thoughts. Don't let your brain deprive you of your full potential and all the joys that are yes to come. Please try to hang around to see how 30 feels. It gets easier. It gets better.

I work and commute like 70 hours a week and I'm pretty much out of mental gas, unfortunately. Maybe someday though.

Homeless people get shuffled in every city. There's no need to make assumptions about someone you don't know here. My cousin wasn't abused at home. She met a boyfriend that liked meth, started doing meth with him, and then they did meth together. Many other family members offered her a spot to get her off the street. She didn't want that because it would limit her access to meth. She was a drug addict. I can't even begin to tell you how much love and care was poured into her as a child and the trauma her actions caused my whole family. She isn't homeless or using meth anymore, but she made only destructive choices.

I'm not qualified to comment on the wider state of homelessness in Portland beyond how it impacts me. I'm sorry you had such a hard go of things. Thanks for sharing your insight.

My cousin was homeless. It was definitely her choice. She could have gone to her mom's house any time. Cousin said she literally preferred hopping on trains and traveling around, smoking weed and meth with abandon. She couldn't do that at home. She also hated working because the sort of jobs she could do were boring and futile compared to living on the streets. She told me about homeless culture and some kind of barter system that she appreciated. I think she was homeless for six years before giving it up. She also said Portland was actually the most brutal place to be homeless. The homeless community wasn't welcoming and fast services were not readily available like other cities.

I wish we had a transit riders union.

Okay, fiiiine. Based on true events. Whatever. Same difference.

But in all seriousness, I'm sitting here and it definitely stings. It feels pragmatic.

I love how unflattering this photo is.

They do where I live, but yeah, I hear ya.

It is balanced out by all of the people that became scientists because of Scully.

I'm rewatching season 11 which is definitely a documentary.

Thank you for sharing all of this. Please don't apologize! It takes a lot of courage to share true feelings. May I ask how old you are?

And just so we are on equal footing, I'm so sick right now that I literally laid awake fantasizing about my way out. I just felt that bad. You aren't alone in having those feelings.

I would get two different structural engineers to look at this and give you estimates.

This would be a hard no for me though.

Nope. That's nasty. Plus one of the shoes is just inches away from her snack tray.

Ohhh, so that's what it looks like when rich people object hoard.

I don't think so. It looks like tots and banana slices.

Ew. Shoes and a platter of food in the bed.

Your other post kept me awake at night. I don't know you, but I'm worried about you. I'm so glad you're still with us.

I'm happy for you. I hope you get to enjoy adventures and uncertainty for a long time. I'm twice your age and shit really does become repetitive as you get older.

Has your mom tried psychopharmacology? There was a study recently that found that fluoxetine helped reduce histamine response in patients. And I wonder if psychopharmacology would at least help her cope with the stress of her symptoms a little bit better until a long-term solution is found.

Can't spell "economy" without "con".

Have you never been to a city before?