waterlilybarb

My apartment isn't undergoing any work, but my street has been blocked off since the the 2nd week in July!  It's been so annoying, with all the noise and dust, not to mention no access to the bus, since it had to be rerouted during the roadwork.  I was initially told it would last 6 weeks.  HAH!  Now, I'm hoping they'll be done by the end of the month.  I know it will be nice when it's finished, as I'm sure your house will be, but living through the mess and chaos sure isn't fun.

waterlilybarb

Having to clean up daily isn't fun.  I wish the work being done around here required one of those big bins so that I could get rid of some stuff without having to get my brother to bring it to the dump for me.  If I had anything people could use, I'd happily give it to them, but the stuff I need gone is all broken. lol

waterlilybarb

Just wanted to pop in and say hello, so "Hello! ".  I've been checking in daily, but have started having even worse migraines than before (didn't think it was possible), so haven't been posting unless I've seen a need.  I'm a bit behind in some of the shows I like too, as it's hard to watch or pay attention to anything when it feels like someone lit your brain on fire.  I'm hoping I'll get some relief, or this new type of pain disappears as quickly as it showed up, because it sucks.  Aside from that, all is well here, and I'm always pleased some activity in the forum.  I miss being able to participate like I used to, but c'est la vie.  

waterlilybarb

I know for a fact that I'm not the only mod who checks the forum regularly, if not daily.  I peek in several times a day.  It's a bummer that so many others who used to post regularly don't post anymore, even just about their favourite shows, but I know for myself, as much as I would like to, I really have to limit my screen time these days.  When I'm having a better day, I do try and post about shows I watch and enjoy, but I have very few of those days.   

I know some of the others who used to be forum regulars were students, so I imagine many of them got busy with life after their schooling was done.  Time really does fly.  The site is nearly 8 years old, and a few of us hat  been around since right near the beginning are still here.  That's isn't all that usual for forums.  Just in that relatively short time, TV has changed so much.  Seems strange, but now with a variety of online sites that actually produce their own series', there's even more to choose from, so people don't all watch the same shows at the same time anymore.

waterlilybarb

I can honestly say, I've never been bored, even as a kid.  I spent quite a lot of time on my own when I was young (still do), and also had times when there were a lot of people around.  I was a reader though, and that's how I entertained myself when there was no one to hang out with.  I still love reading, but I can't do it nearly as much as I'd like to anymore.  I enjoy television and movies, but with books, I get more invested in the characters, and in some ways it feels like I experience the things they do as I read.  Now, I have more time than most people, but can't use it in ways I'd like.  I still don't get bored, but I do occasionally get restless because my illness sometimes does make me a shut in.  There is always something that needs doing.  What I find, is that I've had to learn not to let some things bother me, because there's no point in my getting irritated by something I can't do anything about right away.  My house isn't as tidy as it used to be, which I'm not thrilled about, but it's ridiculous to allow such things to ruin my mood if I'm not well enough to take care of certain chores as they come up.  

Life is what is important, and it's something you should learn to prioritize while you're still young.  I'm really glad that when I WAS well, I used my time doing things that were important to me, including spending time with friends and family.  I never imagined I would get a chronic illness that made those simple things so challenging.  I watched TV back then, but I didn't let TV get in the way of me living my life.  It's important not to take things for granted, because none of us knows what the future holds.  You have time to broaden your interests, and maybe meet new people who you'd enjoy spending time with at LEAST as much as the characters in the shows you watch.    You might even meet someone who has a similar interest in TV.   

waterlilybarb

I'll mention that to the other mods.  We'd like to give members ways to earn, so I'm sure we could do some quizzes or games throughout the year.

waterlilybarb

It would still be nice to offer a way for those who want to earn points, to do so.  I think we'd change certain things, such as leaving them open longer, but it's doable.  

waterlilybarb

Thanks for asking.  The migraines are no better, unfortunately.  Things are alright though.  Not much new here.  

waterlilybarb

I know I'm a bit old for adoption, but would you adopt me Jim? LOL! You're very generous to your family.   I'm sure your wife is delighted with the new tablet. I don't have one, but a decent tablet is on my wish list. Now, if other stuff around the house would just stop breaking, I could actually get one instead of using the money I save for one to replace stuff like the vacuum cleaner (that was the last thing that drained my fund).

waterlilybarb

That sucks about the laptop. If it continues to be problematic, can you return it for a new one? I've never had issues like that with a new laptop. The only time I had problems, was when my old one died, but the motherboard was fried on that.

waterlilybarb

  I'm very sorry to hear of your loss. Grief is a very individual thing, and I have found that I react differently to each loss. Sometimes it's nice to take an emotional "break", which I find watching a movie or a TV show helps me do. Other times, I need to process my emotions by allowing myself to feel them. There is no right or wrong way to do it. If you find it helpful to talk about it, please feel free to either post or send me a PM. If your parents, or other relatives, are ones to talk about things, you might find that talking about memories of your grandmother with them helps.

waterlilybarb

  Ah, yes. That's a plus, especially if your parents are having to deal with any of the business side of dying. I appreciated any meals dropped off after my Mum passed away because I was so busy that I would forget to eat.

waterlilybarb

People DO tend to bring richer dishes than one would normally eat. Maybe add some extra veggies or some plain rice to some of them? That could cut down on the level of oil per serving. I know that I can't tolerate oily food for days on end, even if it tastes good. I've added stuff do dishes in the past, and it's helped a bit.

waterlilybarb

That should be nice. Even if you "just" get 25MB, that's still fast! I always appreciate when they companies give something extra for upgrading, or even for staying with them.

waterlilybarb

Unless something really catches my interest, or a friend with similar taste recommends something, I rarely check out new shows these days. With all the different programs available, I actually seem to watch fewer series on a regular basis than I used to. I'd prefer fewer shows that were really good, as opposed to a ton of shows where you have to wade through a bunch of garbage to find something good.

waterlilybarb

I actually have good friends who have similar taste to mine. I'm more apt to check something out if they say they liked it, since I might not have heard much about a show, or the previews didn't catch my interest. I don't continue watching something I don't like just because others do, but I will often check something out if I've had friends recommend it.

True, the forum is virtually inactive these days. I think new people are often intimidated by a forum, and when new people do post, they haven't always been welcomed, so they don't come back. If I visit a new forum and the response I get is rude or abrupt, I know it's unlikely I would post again.

waterlilybarb

I happened to catch that the other night on TV. I had to laugh at the boys who knew it was a Jimmy Kimmel bit.

waterlilybarb

Glad to hear you've been busy. Hopefully it's with positive things. I've not been super busy, but I'm behind on a few of the shows I usually watch. I have a bunch saved on my DVR. Funny thing is, I've been looking forward to watching them, but just haven't been in the mood for TV as much.

On a different note, since you fellas often talk about electronics and gadgets in here, I thought I'd mention that I got myself an Android TV box. I LOVE it! I've not ditched cable yet, but once I suss it out and figure out everything it can do, I just might cut the cord completely. The main thing I need to see is if I will be able to get any local channels. If not, I'll drop to basic cable. The rates are going down because of some new regulations here, so if I just keep basic, I'll be set. I may up my internet speed, but even with what I have now, I rarely have buffering or lag issues with anything I watch, and I don't have particularly speedy internet. The even cooler part is that the box didn't cost me anything out of pocket. I use a few earning sites online where you can get points and cash them in for gift cards. I try to keep my Amazon account with a decent balance from the gift cards so that I can take advantage of good deals. The next gadget I'd like is a tablet. I'd LOVE an iPad, but I hate that you can't add storage to them. I'm thinking a good Android one is probably more practical for me, and there are some really good ones now.

I'm alright today. Not a great day, but not the worst either. My doctor gave me a sample of a medication I've not tried before, so I took that for today's migraine. I'm not sure if it's one I'll ask for a prescription for, but there are others in the same family of drug, that I can try. If he can get samples, or if they are covered by my drug plan, I think I'll see if I can give something else a try. If I can just find the right one for me, I might have a chance of getting these miserable things under control so that I can have fewer days of being incapacitated by them. I wouldn't wish migraines on my worst enemy, though I sometimes wish that doctors who think they are just "bad headaches" would get just 1 really bad one so they could understand them better, and have a little more compassion for their patients. I'm lucky that my GP does seem to understand how debilitating they can be.

Hahaha! Just realized I've practically written a novella. Not sure why, but migraine medication always seems to make me chatty - even when the "chat" is typing.

waterlilybarb

Thanks. I'll keep that one in mind when I'm ready to buy.

waterlilybarb

Glad to hear things are picking up for you. Much more fun to be out living life than only watching other people's lives on TV. When my health was better, I definitely watched less TV. I still had shows I loved but, I think that having to really be picky because of time restraints, I enjoyed those shows even more. Also, there were fewer options which made it a bit easier to decide which shows to choose.