Random Rants LXIX: Life is a Dismal Chore

[The_J]

But last year I felt awful the following day. Basically it felt like the flu, which seemed very counter productive to a flu shot. But after another day I was back on my feet. Haven't decided if I'm going to get vaccinated this year or not. I might skip it.

The flu (not the regular cold) can kill you, you might not be up the next day. The vaccination will not do that.
For me even a cold normally knocks me out for 3-4 days (not even considering that I normally have before/after effects like sore throught or constant coughing for 1-2-3 weeks), so I'll happily take the flue vaccination.
Good that we get that for free.
Would also be ironic if the virology research was down due to a virus outbreak ^^.


Own rant: In my dance class is a girl who reminds me very much (from the outerior) of a friend of mine, into whom I was quite a bit.
I don't manage to get into good contact with her in class at the moment.
Not sure if that's a good or a bad thing, but it makes me unhappy :/.

 

[choxorn]

That would be completely useless. Stupid people won't take it because it causes autism.

Can confirm, got stupid vaccine as a child, am now smart but also autistic.

 

[Arakhor]

I live in the same country as someone who got vaccinated and look what happened to me!

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I usually don't have any side effects to the flu shot. But last year I felt awful the following day. Basically it felt like the flu, which seemed very counter productive to a flu shot. But after another day I was back on my feet. Haven't decided if I'm going to get vaccinated this year or not. I might skip it.

Don't skip it. I've only had the flu once and while it was like what I felt after the vaccine, it was 5x worse and lasted 10x longer. I was feeling just fine by yesterday whereas when I got the flu it lasted a full two weeks. It nearly caused me to lose an entire semester in college.

Why the hell didn't you call him on that ?

I thought about it and my younger, more temper-prone self would have. I didn't call them on it because it wouldn't have done any good. The damage was done and by all indications (in the form of profuse, multiple apologies) they knew they screwed up. The only thing that could have been accomplished by raging or telling off would have been for them to further mistreat me by giving the shot in a more painful area or something. It just doesn't pay to provoke a health care professional with a needle, especially when they've already apologized for their wrong.

I mean a flu shot is deactivated flu. Very, very rarely it will actually get you the flu. But I imagine having not the best health makes sense that one might esperience side effects.

There's at least two types of flu shot that I know of - one uses a weakened flu virus that is live (and is administered through the nose and can actually cause the flu rarely) and one that uses deactivated flu that is given by a shot. According to the pamphlet they gave me, the latter type cannot actually cause the flu. But it can and I guess did provoke a pretty serious immune response. I think my body went into overdrive building up t-cells or whatever and just drained me of energy for a day. Still worth it because the real flu sucks so hard. They did tell me this cocktail contained more strains than usual so I bet that had something to do with the level of immune response.

 

[GenMarshall]

Had to search all over town for a freaking DVI-D Cable.

 

[AmtrakQuebec]

Had to search all over town for a freaking DVI-D Cable.

Had to search all over town for a PS/2 cable, only to have some greenhorn tell me that they don't make cables for the Playstation 2 anymore...

:facepalm:

 

[warpus]

Poison ivy hit me hard over 2 months ago and infected my right arm and it took over a month to recover. My right arm was an ugly oozy mess and I was on stereoids and antiboitics in more than 1 form. Crap broke out in other parts of my body but my right arm was hit the hardest (and was the only place that got infected)

Yesterday I decided to for the first time touch the backpack I used on that hiking trip. I just looked through it briefly to see what was still inside. A couple hours later my right ankle was itching and I looked and OMG poison ivy stuff breaking out. I applied the super strong creme I have and it went away, but I still feel friggin itchy EVERYWHERE. My body must be super sensitive to poison ivy. I am itchy all over the place, it's not so bad anymore, still annoying but it was worse earlier. The rash or whatever it is is mostly gone. I swear whenever I touch the poison ivy chemical my whole skin reacts, and not just the part that touched it. I am not even going near that part of my bedroom where my backpack is, I haven't even really unpacked all that. Next time I touch that thing will be after my Nepal trip and I'm going in there wearing a full hazmat suit and everything is getting set on fire

I'm exaggerating about the fire, I'm washing that stuff and keeping it. But it's super annoying and stresses me out

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Poison ivy hit me hard over 2 months ago and infected my right arm and it took over a month to recover. My right arm was an ugly oozy mess and I was on stereoids and antiboitics in more than 1 form. Crap broke out in other parts of my body but my right arm was hit the hardest (and was the only place that got infected)

Yesterday I decided to for the first time touch the backpack I used on that hiking trip. I just looked through it briefly to see what was still inside. A couple hours later my right ankle was itching and I looked and OMG poison ivy stuff breaking out. I applied the super strong creme I have and it went away, but I still feel friggin itchy EVERYWHERE. My body must be super sensitive to poison ivy. I am itchy all over the place, it's not so bad anymore, still annoying but it was worse earlier. The rash or whatever it is is mostly gone. I swear whenever I touch the poison ivy chemical my whole skin reacts, and not just the part that touched it. I am not even going near that part of my bedroom where my backpack is, I haven't even really unpacked all that. Next time I touch that thing will be after my Nepal trip and I'm going in there wearing a full hazmat suit and everything is getting set on fire

I'm exaggerating about the fire, I'm washing that stuff and keeping it. But it's super annoying and stresses me out

If your whole body is reacting then your probably developing an allergy to it and should be extra careful. It could get significantly worse with further contact so please be extra careful.

Sorry you went through that ordeal buddy.

 

[warpus]

Thanks, it was extra stressful because I knew I couldn't do anything but wait for the drugs to do their thing over a period of weeks. And now it's over 2 months later and my butt itches. With the biggest trip of my life in the near future, to a remote place, a part of me thought the super long healing period and all the extra itchiness was partially due to the stress. You're probably right that I'm allergic though. What a good time to figure that out lol

I am taking precautions and not bringing any clothes from that fateful trip with me. Yeah that means I bought all new lightweight/properly layered clothes, which makes this trip more expensive, but at least I have all this new stuff. Even bought a new camp towel and some other stuff that is fabric based. I never buy clothes so I'm looking at it as an "opportunity". I'm also bringing strong antibiotics with me that fight that sort of thing, as well as a strong steroid creme, and benedryl. My friend was also nice enough to buy a duffel bag for the porter to carry, so now I don't have to bring my condemned 74L backpack. And sure, I could wash it in a special chemical, but I ain't touching that bag for now, no way. The plan now, which is actually better, is to pack as much stuff as I can into my new 35L bag, which I am using for the hike, and throw everything that doesn't fit into my friend's duffel bag. My 35L bag is carry-on sized and the duffel bag will get checked in. It is a 90L so both of our extra stuff will fit. If the third guy's who is meeting up with us in Nepal stuff also fits in that duffel bag, plus all of our stuff that we want the porter to carry, than that will be awesome and will make everything easier and might even make me forget about this BS

I just checked and the initial spot I saw yesterday that blew up with red blotches is now almost completely healed. However, I am still itchy everywhere. So I am taking it in stride.

Flight in 4 days.

 

[cardgame]

you might want to burn your backpack.

rant: winter is coming

 

[Commodore]

YouTube demonetized one of my videos for being inappropriate for advertisers due to "controversial content". I'm not upset about it since I don't really make any money off my videos anyway. I'm just...confused by it. The video they deem inappropriate was one of those stupid little Ultimate Epic Battle simulator videos I made a while back. There's no commentary and it was dressers fighting Santas. What could possibly be considered "controversial" about that? It was their automated algorithm that flagged and demonetized it and there an option to request a manual review, but when I clicked it I got a message saying manual reviews were only for videos that have at least 1,000 views. So not only does YouTube demonetize the video, they hurt my pride too.

It's just weird that it's just that one video that got flagged, especially since I have other videos in which I use a fair amount of foul language. Apparently that's "advertiser friendly" content though...

Meh. I've been meaning to delete those videos anyway and this just reminded me to get around to doing that.

 

[Ryika]

Don't waste your time thinking about it - there is no logic to the youtube flagging system, it's based purely on rng rolls.

 

[Snerk]

So it won't matter that you could be a carrier and pass it along to someone who isn't as strong?

Nice. (Not.)

I get the shot most years, which is more than most others. I'll have zero guilt if I skip a year. And I doubt my immune system is considered particularly strong. If I'm getting vaccinated I'm doing it for me. Not passing it to others is just a bonus.

Don't skip it. I've only had the flu once and while it was like what I felt after the vaccine, it was 5x worse and lasted 10x longer. I was feeling just fine by yesterday whereas when I got the flu it lasted a full two weeks. It nearly caused me to lose an entire semester in college.

I hear you, I'm unsure if I've had a proper flu, but I hear it sucks balls.

Rant: I've picked up a cold! I blame you guys and all your talk of illnesses!
Actually I'm pretty sure I know the origin. My six year old nephew had a pool birthday party and my sister asked my to attend to help keep an eye on the kids. It was biological warfare and my immune defences didn't stand a chance. Anyway, for me, colds can last for a few days or several weeks. Really hoping on the former. /sips tea

 

[Cutlass]

Thanks, it was extra stressful because I knew I couldn't do anything but wait for the drugs to do their thing over a period of weeks. And now it's over 2 months later and my butt itches. With the biggest trip of my life in the near future, to a remote place, a part of me thought the super long healing period and all the extra itchiness was partially due to the stress. You're probably right that I'm allergic though. What a good time to figure that out lol

I am taking precautions and not bringing any clothes from that fateful trip with me. Yeah that means I bought all new lightweight/properly layered clothes, which makes this trip more expensive, but at least I have all this new stuff. Even bought a new camp towel and some other stuff that is fabric based. I never buy clothes so I'm looking at it as an "opportunity". I'm also bringing strong antibiotics with me that fight that sort of thing, as well as a strong steroid creme, and benedryl. My friend was also nice enough to buy a duffel bag for the porter to carry, so now I don't have to bring my condemned 74L backpack. And sure, I could wash it in a special chemical, but I ain't touching that bag for now, no way. The plan now, which is actually better, is to pack as much stuff as I can into my new 35L bag, which I am using for the hike, and throw everything that doesn't fit into my friend's duffel bag. My 35L bag is carry-on sized and the duffel bag will get checked in. It is a 90L so both of our extra stuff will fit. If the third guy's who is meeting up with us in Nepal stuff also fits in that duffel bag, plus all of our stuff that we want the porter to carry, than that will be awesome and will make everything easier and might even make me forget about this BS

I just checked and the initial spot I saw yesterday that blew up with red blotches is now almost completely healed. However, I am still itchy everywhere. So I am taking it in stride.

Flight in 4 days.

Do you know anyone who is not bothered by poison ivy that you could get to take that stuff to a laundromat and put it through the wash a few times?

 

[Valka D'Ur]

I hear you, I'm unsure if I've had a proper flu, but I hear it sucks balls.

If you have it, you won't be in any doubt whatsoever.

One of my typing clients gave it to me not long before Christmas, one year. I spent Christmas and New Year's in bed, living on chicken broth and fruit juice, and just trying to keep breathing. Eating any holiday treats was out of the question.

It's not just elderly people who can die from this. My respiratory system has been compromised for a long time (thanks for all the second-hand smoke, parents), so there's no question about my qualifying for a free shot every year. I finally got smart after the year my client gave me his "present"... and it took my dad turning 65 and also finally qualifying for a free shot to get him to do it. Actually, I just told him to put on a coat, and he was coming with me to the clinic and we were both going to get it done. His excuse before was that he didn't have the money, but seniors and high-risk groups get it free.

Some people don't do it because it "hurts." Well, better a momentary sharp prick that's less painful than a paper cut than trying to cope with an illness that can knock you out for weeks (some people need extra time to get their strength back even after they can breathe properly again).

And now that I make my dad's medical decisions, he doesn't get to refuse it. When the nursing home staff asked if I would allow him to have a flu shot, I told them, "I insist on it."

 

[warpus]

Do you know anyone who is not bothered by poison ivy that you could get to take that stuff to a laundromat and put it through the wash a few times?

I thought about that. But the biggest thing affected is a large 74L backpack, which would have to be washed by hand using a special chemical. Plus I would feel bad if it did affect someone even a bit. Just gonna stay away from all the affected stuff until after my trip and wash it when I get back. Ended up buying replacement stuff for everything affected anyway, and now that my friend has bought a 90L duffel bag we won't need my 74L either, so that works for me

 

[Cutlass]

I thought about that. But the biggest thing affected is a large 74L backpack, which would have to be washed by hand using a special chemical. Plus I would feel bad if it did affect someone even a bit. Just gonna stay away from all the affected stuff until after my trip and wash it when I get back. Ended up buying replacement stuff for everything affected anyway, and now that my friend has bought a 90L duffel bag we won't need my 74L either, so that works for me

If the backpack doesn't have a metal frame it would probably go inside one of the big washers laundromats have for things like blankets.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

I thought about that. But the biggest thing affected is a large 74L backpack, which would have to be washed by hand using a special chemical. Plus I would feel bad if it did affect someone even a bit. Just gonna stay away from all the affected stuff until after my trip and wash it when I get back. Ended up buying replacement stuff for everything affected anyway, and now that my friend has bought a 90L duffel bag we won't need my 74L either, so that works for me

Yeah do something with that backpack, either clean it (get long gloves!) or replace it. The allergy can get seriously worse with further contact. I had an outdoorsy professor who developed an allergy and when were launching balloons into the stratosphere and fishing them out of the woods when they landed he had to hang back. He had been exposed a few times and was to the point where he would have to go to the emergency room to avoid death (literally). He loved being in the woods but couldn't risk an accidental exposure - it kind of ruined his outdoorsy lifestyle. So please be extra careful.

YouTube demonetized one of my videos for being inappropriate for advertisers due to "controversial content". I'm not upset about it since I don't really make any money off my videos anyway. I'm just...confused by it. The video they deem inappropriate was one of those stupid little Ultimate Epic Battle simulator videos I made a while back. There's no commentary and it was dressers fighting Santas. What could possibly be considered "controversial" about that? It was their automated algorithm that flagged and demonetized it and there an option to request a manual review, but when I clicked it I got a message saying manual reviews were only for videos that have at least 1,000 views. So not only does YouTube demonetize the video, they hurt my pride too.

It's just weird that it's just that one video that got flagged, especially since I have other videos in which I use a fair amount of foul language. Apparently that's "advertiser friendly" content though...

Meh. I've been meaning to delete those videos anyway and this just reminded me to get around to doing that.

What Valessa said - don't read too much into it. Youtube's monetization program is seriously messed up now and there is no logical reasoning to it that is avialable to non-Google employees. Its capricious and stupid and has nothing to do with you or your videos.

I get the shot most years, which is more than most others. I'll have zero guilt if I skip a year. And I doubt my immune system is considered particularly strong. If I'm getting vaccinated I'm doing it for me. Not passing it to others is just a bonus.

I hear you, I'm unsure if I've had a proper flu, but I hear it sucks balls.

Rant: I've picked up a cold! I blame you guys and all your talk of illnesses!
Actually I'm pretty sure I know the origin. My six year old nephew had a pool birthday party and my sister asked my to attend to help keep an eye on the kids. It was biological warfare and my immune defences didn't stand a chance. Anyway, for me, colds can last for a few days or several weeks. Really hoping on the former. /sips tea

What Valka said - if you ever had it you would know. I used to be unsure if I had ever had it. I frequently get colds and sometimes they were bad enough to make me think they were the flu but they were not. The flu is next level. There's a reason why the Spanish Flu of 1919 killed so many millions of people.

If you have it, you won't be in any doubt whatsoever.

One of my typing clients gave it to me not long before Christmas, one year. I spent Christmas and New Year's in bed, living on chicken broth and fruit juice, and just trying to keep breathing. Eating any holiday treats was out of the question.

It's not just elderly people who can die from this. My respiratory system has been compromised for a long time (thanks for all the second-hand smoke, parents), so there's no question about my qualifying for a free shot every year. I finally got smart after the year my client gave me his "present"... and it took my dad turning 65 and also finally qualifying for a free shot to get him to do it. Actually, I just told him to put on a coat, and he was coming with me to the clinic and we were both going to get it done. His excuse before was that he didn't have the money, but seniors and high-risk groups get it free.

Some people don't do it because it "hurts." Well, better a momentary sharp prick that's less painful than a paper cut than trying to cope with an illness that can knock you out for weeks (some people need extra time to get their strength back even after they can breathe properly again).

And now that I make my dad's medical decisions, he doesn't get to refuse it. When the nursing home staff asked if I would allow him to have a flu shot, I told them, "I insist on it."

Wait flu shots in Canada aren't free? In the US, if you have insurance then the shots are free because of an Obamacare preventative medicine mandate.

 

[Valka D'Ur]

Yeah do something with that backpack, either clean it (get long gloves!) or replace it.

My advice is to replace it. If you ever get it clean enough of whatever the poison ivy toxin is, you'd probably be at risk from the chemicals it took to deal with it.

Backpacks are replaceable. You're not.


A long time ago I developed a severe contact allergy to wool. So all the wool clothing, blankets, etc. had to be either given away or tossed. Just a couple of weeks ago I found an unopened box of tapestry wool among my craft stuff that had been in storage. Touching wool is extremely painful, so I donated it to the local seniors' centre. It'll probably get crocheted up into a toque or mittens for somebody.

While this allergy isn't potentially fatal (at least I've never heard of anyone dying from it), it's meant having to scrutinize all fabric and yarn labels very carefully. Even a small percentage of wool content means it's out of the question.

What Valka said - if you ever had it you would know. I used to be unsure if I had ever had it. I frequently get colds and sometimes they were bad enough to make me think they were the flu but they were not. The flu is next level. There's a reason why the Spanish Flu of 1919 killed so many millions of people.

One of them was my great-grandmother. With a lot of strains of flu, it's the very young and elderly who are most at risk, as well as people with compromised systems (ie. people with asthma or COPD). The Spanish flu attacked young adults, and so my grandmother was only 8 when her mother died. My great-aunt was 13, and had to raise her two siblings while my great-grandfather tried to keep the farm going.

Wait flu shots in Canada aren't free? In the US, if you have insurance then the shots are free because of an Obamacare preventative medicine mandate.

It differs from province to province, and policies change over the years. I recall that one year, my mother took me to the clinic and thought she'd get a shot as well. She changed her mind when they told her, "That will be $15, please."

So I'm not sure what the situation is now. I know it's free for me. I don't know about healthy adults. The policy may have changed because a light bulb finally went off in the brain of some health minister or other, who realized that it costs more to deal with the results of people getting sick (time off work, passing it on to other people) than it does to just give everyone a shot who wants one. Some school systems are now refusing to accept any kid whose vaccinations aren't up to date, and require documentation from a doctor if an exemption is to be allowed.

 

[shadowplay]

Flu shot is free in Ontario. I get one every year.

My father is immune to poison ivy. I wonder if that means there's a decent chance I am, too?